Matinee Classics - William Wyler Biography & Filmography

William Wyler DIRECTOR

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WILLIAM WYLER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

William Wyler was one of the most esteemed directors of his time. He was a 'bona fide perfectionist' and it showed in his work. He became so successful through the way he packed so much raw emotion into each of his pictures, and would not stop production on each film until it was absolutely faultless. During the 1930's and 1940's, he was one of Hollywood’s most bankable movie makers, due to his gifted ability to adapt classic literature into giant box office hits with immense critical acclaim. In his forty-five year directing spree, which lasted from the silent film era to the invention of sound movies, he managed to receive twelve Academy Award nominations and three wins. He has the most Academy Award nominations of any director, and has the second best record for most Oscar wins, right behind John Ford. In 1966, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rewarded him with the Irving Thalberg Award, one of their most prestigious honors. Wyler’s work so exalted that he was also only the fourth person to receive the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Obviously, he was a force to be reckoned with.

The director was born on July 1, 1902, to a Jewish family in Mulhouse, Alsace – then apart of Germany. As a child, he constantly saw his town exchange hands between Germany and France during the initial month of the war, but it remained German territory for the remainder of World War I. The war front was only a few miles away, but Wyler found it wildly enthralling. After the war, his parents sent him to study in a part of Switzerland, but he was soon expelled. His father let him work in his shop, which eventually led to an apprenticeship in Paris, but Wyler hated the trade and quit. In 1920, his mother, out of desperation, arranged for him to work under her cousin, the head at Universal Pictures, in America. Wyler became quickly intrigued and asked to be sent to Hollywood, where he became an assistant to the assistant directors.

In 1925 he graduated to director, his debut film being the twenty four minute long “The Crook Buster” (1925), which eventually led up to his first full length feature, “Lazy Lightning” (1926). For the next few years, he turned out mostly 'B' Universal movies, with a great emphasis on low budget silent westerns. In 1929 he finally came out with his first 'A' picture, “Hell’s Heroes” (1929), which was also Universal’s earliest all-sound movie shot outside of a studio. He continued creating successful films for the studio, like John Barrymore’s legal drama “Counsellor at Law” (1933) and the early comedy act by Preston Sturges, “The Good Fairy” (1935).

Wyler also worked with the infamous MGM producer Samuel Goldwyn, beginning with “These Three” (1936), based on the lesbian-themed play, “The Children’s Hour”, by Lillian Hellman. However, his first success with Goldwyn was “Dodsworth” (1936), an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’ portrayal of an American marriage that was falling to pieces. This was the first feature Wyler received a Best Director Oscar nomination for, as well as a Best Picture nomination.

Due to his perfectionism, Wyler would force his actors to retake scenes multiple times, often creating tension and conflict with his performers. This anal directing style led him to be nicknamed “90-Take Wyler” and “Once-More Wyler”. While more actors have won Academy Awards in this director’s films than any other, they rarely were seen in his movies more than once. One such actor was Bette Davis, while not devoid of clashes with Wyler, filmed three with him, “Jezebel” (1938), “The Letter” (1940), and “The Little Foxes” (1941). When working on his Oscar nominated picture “Wuthering Heights” (1940), he made actress Merle Oberon reshoot a storm scene multiple times – so many in fact she started vomiting and was later sent to the hospital with a fever. Nevertheless, Wyler continued producing successful hits for Goldwyn, including “Dead End” (1937), “The Westerner” (1940), and “The Little Foxes” (1941). In 1942, the director put out “Mrs. Miniver” (1942), which not only gave him his first Oscar win, but became a classic.

In the forties he also spent time documenting World War II, travelling throughout Europe and joining bombing raids to experience and capture what it was like during the war. His footage can be seen in the documentaries, “The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress” (1944), “The Fighting Lady” (1944), and later, “Thunderbolt” (1947). The first movie Wyler made upon returning to the states was the war drama “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946), which gave the director his second Academy Award win. It also, though, was the last film he would make for Goldwyn because the producer refused to pay Wyler his full share of the profits.

After the war, he directed a number of critically acclaimed pictures. Starting in 1948 after a failed attempt with his own studio, Liberty Films, he signed with Paramount Pictures and produced five features. “The Heiress” (1949) was the first of these, and boasted actress Olivia de Havilland and actor Ralph Richardson. It also gave Wyler another Oscar nomination. Next came the innovatively realistic “Detective Story” (1951) and the Italian filmed “Roman Holiday” (1953), both of which nabbed the director another Academy Award nomination. “The Desperate Hours” (1955) was the last of his Paramount features. However, the very next film that he put out, “Friendly Persuasion” (1956), earned him another Oscar nomination, but not until “Ben-Hur” (1959) was released did Wyler get his third Academy Award.

The director’s star seemed to be dying out after the fifties, for he found success with only two films in the sixties, the vicious adaptation of the John Fowles novel, “The Collector” (1966), and the Barbara Streisand musical “Funny Girl” (1968). Following the failure of “The Liberation of L.B. Jones” (1970), Wyler retired. He and his family spent the rest of their time together travelling and attending drive-in movies. On July 27, 1981, the famed director died from a heart attack in Beverly Hills, California. However, he passed away one of the most accomplished and remembered directors of all time. He sure lived true to one of his quotes – “I'm here to make good pictures. If I don't see it, I won't touch it” – and it showed in his several celebrated films, many of which transformed into cherished classics.

Filmography

1970 The Liberation of L.B. Jones

1968 Funny Girl

1966 How to Steal a Million

1965 The Collector

1961 The Children's Hour

1959 Ben-Hur

1958 The Big Country

1956 Friendly Persuasion

1956 Producers' Showcase

1955 The Desperate Hours

1953 Roman Holiday

1952 Carrie