William Wyler

William Wyler was born on July 1, 1902 in Alsace. He studied at the highest commercial school in Lausanne, and also graduated from the National Conservatory in Paris in violin class. In 1920, Wyler met Carl Lammel, then head of Universal Pictures, a distant maternal relative who offered him a job at a film company. William Wyler began his career in the advertising department of Universal in New York, then he was transferred to Hollywood, where he made his debut in 1923 with the film Dodger Buster. more

William Wyler was born on July 1, 1902 in Alsace. He studied at the highest commercial school in Lausanne, and also graduated from the National Conservatory in Paris in violin class.

In 1920, Wyler met Carl Lammel, then head of Universal Pictures, a distant maternal relative who offered him a job at a film company. William Wyler began his career in the advertising department of Universal in New York, then he was transferred to Hollywood, where he made his debut in 1923 with the film Dodger Buster.

In 1928 he received American citizenship. Having stuffed his hand on westerns, in a large number of shots in the first two years of his directorial career, William Wyler by the age of 30 had a solid reputation, thanks to such dramatic films and melodramas as “The Advocate”, “Heroes of Hell”, “Fun deception”.

In 1936, he left the studio and worked with producer Sam Goldwyn and cameraman Gregg Toland. Their first film was The Three (1936). In 1948, William Wyler and several colleagues founded Liberty Films.

During his career, William Wyler made more than 70 films and 12 (!) times was awarded an Oscar nomination for Best Director, receiving three cherished statuettes. In 1976, Wyler became the third in the history of the award of the American Film Institute “For achievements in creativity”.

Among the most famous works of the director are the wonderful melodrama Roman Holiday with Gregory Pecomie Audrey Hepburn, the comedy Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif and How to Steal a Million with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole. One cannot but mention the large-scale historical production of Ben-Gur (1959), which received 11 awards from the American Film Academy - a similar achievement was repeated almost forty years later only by James Cameron's Titanic.

An impressive episode from “Ben-Gura” – a quadrig race (drawn by four chariot horses) – entered the golden fund of cinema.

William Wyler died on July 27, 1981 in Los Angeles.