Born
1902-07-01 (age 123)
Birthplace
Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]
Known For
Directing
William Wyler
Biography
William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born film director, producer, and screenwriter. Notable works include Ben-Hur (1959), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Mrs. Miniver (1942), all which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, and also won Best Picture. He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing Dodsworth in 1936, sparking a 20-year run of almost unbroken greatness. Film historian Ian Freer calls Wyler a "bona fide perfectionist," whose penchant for retakes and an attempt to hone every last nuance "became the stuff of legend." His ability to direct a string of classic literary adaptations into huge box office and critical successes made him one of Hollywood's most bankable moviemakers during the 1930s and 1940s.
Also Known As
Movie Appearances
Dodsworth
as Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (uncredited)
1936
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
as Self (archive footage)
2005
Fun in the Big Country
as Self
1958
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
as Self - Director (archive footage)
1993
The Best Years of Our Lives
as Drug Store customer (uncredited)
1946
Hollywood's Second World War
as Self (archive footage)
2019
The Screen Director
as Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
1951
The Cold Blue
as Himself (archive footage)
2018
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
2019
Stars of Cabaret
as Self (archive footage)
1956
Directed by William Wyler
as Self
1986
Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'
as Self (archive footage)
2000
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
as Self
2001
Five Came Back
as Self (archive footage)
2017
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2002
Laurence Olivier: a life
as Self
1982
William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy
as Himself (Archival)
2025
