Billy Wilder

Overview

Known for
Acting
Gender
Other
Birthday
Jun 22, 1906 (118 years old)
Death date
Mar 27, 2002

Billy Wilder

Known For

Audrey
1h 41m
Movie 2020

Audrey

An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

Hollywood's Second World War
1h 30m
Movie 2019

Hollywood's Second World War

For the USA, World War 2 was an all-out war - to mobilize the masses, the US government launched a huge propaganda campaign and cinema, the medium of the masses, was quite simply their most important weapon. Government authorities monitored the production of feature films and the military itself produced documentaries aimed at rallying the American people to support the troops. This film tells the story of four Hollywood directors of European origin, who returned to the "Old World" during the Second World War to make propaganda documentaries for the US Army at the front: William Wyler from Alsace, Frank Capra from Italy, Anatole Litvak from Ukraine and - in post-war Germany - Billy Wilder from Austria.

Never Be Boring: Billy Wilder
0h 52m
Movie 2017

Never Be Boring: Billy Wilder

A funny walk through the life story of Billy Wilder (1906-2002), a cinematic genius; a portrait of a filmmaker who never was a boring man, a superb mind who had ten commandments, of which the first nine were: “Thou shalt not bore.”

Billy Wilder: Nobody's Perfect
0h 52m
Movie 2016

Billy Wilder: Nobody's Perfect

Biography on the famous writer-director, Billy Wilder.

Helmut by June
0h 54m
Movie 2007

Helmut by June

An intimate portrait of iconic photographer Helmut Newton shot by his wife and fellow photographer June Newton.

Shadows of Suspense
0h 37m
Movie 2006

Shadows of Suspense

A documentary featuring film historians, directors and authors discussing the making of Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity."

The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'
0h 20m
Movie 2006

The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'

A look back at the impact Billy Wilder's comedy classic "Some Like It Hot" has left since it's release in 1959.

The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'
0h 26m
Movie 2006

The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'

A look back at the making of Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy classic "Some Like It Hot."

Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
1h 0m
Movie 1998

Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy

A profile of writer-director Billy Wilder

Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
0h 52m
Movie 1997

Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough

A profile of the life of actor Walter Matthau.

Biography

Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-born director, screenwriter and producer who is regarded as one of the most excellent filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age. Today he is best known for his comedies, although he also directed dramas and film noirs. Wilder is one of only five people who have won Academy Awards as producer, director, and writer for the same film (The Apartment). Wilder's career began in Germany, where he worked as a writer for comedy films from 1930. After the Nazis seized power in 1933, he emigrated to the United States, where he continued to write screenplays, including Ernst Lubitsch's Ninotchka (1939) and Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire (1941). From the early 1940s, Wilder was allowed to film his own screenplays and thus made a name for himself as a director. Initially, his greatest successes included predominantly dramatic film noirs such as Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Ace in the Hole (1951). It was only then that he increasingly turned to comedy, including Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954) and The Seven Year Itch (1955), although he made a small detour to courtroom drama with Witness for the Prosecution (1957). With Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960) he made his most famous and probably most successful comedy films, the latter even receiving five Oscars. In One, Two, Three (1961), Wilder dealt with the conditions of the time in his former adopted country, Germany, and made the successful romantic comedy Irma la Douce (1963). In the two decades that followed, Wilder made seven more films, which were less well received by critics and audiences, although the German-French drama Fedora (1978) is viewed somewhat more favorably today by predominantly pretentious film experts. Some time later, Wilder was under discussion as director for Schindler's List, which he had wanted as the end of his long career, but ultimately had to turn it down due to his advanced age.

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