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Sidney Lumet was born on June 25, 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He graduated from Columbia University in drama literature. Coming from an acting more

Sidney Lumet was born on June 25, 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He graduated from Columbia University in drama literature. Coming from an acting family, Lumet made his debut as an actor on the radio at the age of 4, and at 5 - for the first time entered the theater stage. He made his first film appearance when he was 15 in One Third of a Nation (1939). From 1942 to 1946, Lumet served in American air defense in Burma and India, and on his return from the army he organized his own troupe. Since 1950, he worked on television, in 1964 he first acted as a producer; his directorial debut in the film was the film 12 Angry Men (1957), which starred Henry Fonda and which brought Lumet an Oscar nomination and a director's guild award. Among the subsequent works of the director are such masterpieces of social and psychological cinema as “System of Security” (1964), “Rostovschik” (1965), “Telenetwork” (1976), “Verdict”, “Serpico” and others.

Born into an artistic family and from an early age accustomed to the thunder of applause and stage performances, Charles Spencer Chaplin (April 16, 1889) more

Born into an artistic family and from an early age accustomed to the thunder of applause and stage performances, Charles Spencer Chaplin (April 16, 1889) became the most famous English film actor, director and screenwriter. He created the image of a funny vagrant Charlie became one of the most famous in the world of cinema.

The path to world fame for Charlie Chaplin was not easy. Because of complete poverty, from early childhood he had to make the audience laugh, touring as part of a stray troupe. The first step to success was his cooperation with the company "Keystone", it was then that the incredibly popular clumsy and funny, but at the same time very resourceful and insightful vagabond appeared, which became for many viewers of that time a symbol of spiritual and physical resilience.

Immortal masterpieces of Charlie Chaplin, which brought him great popularity, became paintings. "Gold Rush" . "Circus" . "Big City Lights" . "New Times" Charlie Chaplin had eleven children, but only one daughter.

Czech film director Milos Forman was born on February 18, 1932. Having lost his parents who died at Auschwitz, he was forced to make his way through life more

Czech film director Milos Forman was born on February 18, 1932. Having lost his parents who died at Auschwitz, he was forced to make his way through life on his own.

Having chosen a creative career, he entered the Prague Film School. In 1974 he began working on the film adaptation of the novel. work brings him the first resounding success - the picture received five Oscars at once, triumphantly passed at the box office and took 20th place in the ranking of the best films of the century.

The second work that cemented the directorial success of Milos Forman was the film. "Amadeus" Nominated for eight Oscars and received the Audience Award.

Subsequent films - "Love adventures of a blonde" . "The break-up" . "Ghosts of Goya" . "Man on the Moon" Although they did not have as much success with film critics, they still enjoyed quite a lot of popularity. /

George Orson Welles was born on May 6, 1915 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. He was orphaned at the age of twelve, losing both his father and his mother. George's more

George Orson Welles was born on May 6, 1915 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. He was orphaned at the age of twelve, losing both his father and his mother. George's guardian was Maurice Bernstein.


At the age of sixteen (1931) George graduated from school, but further education was not to his liking. Instead of pursuing a career, Wells went to Ireland and then to London. He wanted to become a theater actor, but his attempts to perform on both the London stage and Broadway were unsuccessful. Not discouraged, George again went to travel, "taking a course" to Morocco. Wells wanted a thrill - once in Spain, he participated in bullfighting and, fortunately, survived. Traveling around the world, George did not forget about his main goal and, in the end, managed to get recommendations from popular authors, Thornton Wilder and Alexander Woolcott. This helped Wells get into the Katherine Cornell troupe. In her composition and as Tybald (Romeo and Juliet), the actor made his debut on the New York stage in 1934. This year was a very happy one in Wells’ life: he married actress Virginia Nicholson and directed his first short film, Heart of the Century. Three years later, with John Houseman, Wells created the Mercury Theatre. In 1938, the program "The Mercury Theatre on Air" was first broadcast on New York radio. Glory, albeit scandalous, brought this project the production of “War of the Worlds”. In 1941, Orson Welles’ film was released. "Citizen Kane" . At the box office, it failed, but this did not affect the value of the picture - it is still considered one of the diamonds of world cinema. In Citizen Kane, Wells was everything: writer, director, producer, lead actor. If everything was going well in terms of creativity, then financial failures affected the mood of George Wells. He left America and settled in Europe, where he lived and worked almost to the end. In the seventies, Wells was actively engaged in his acting career and for achievements in this field received in 1975 a special award of the American Film Institute. Nine years later, George Wells received the D.W. Griffith Award from the Directors Guild of America. On October 10, 1985, George Orson Welles died of a heart attack in Hollywood, to which he devoted his entire life. /

Michael Curtitz (his real name is Mihai Kertez) was born on December 24, 1888 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, to a wealthy Jewish family. His father was more

Michael Curtitz (his real name is Mihai Kertez) was born on December 24, 1888 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, to a wealthy Jewish family. His father was an architect and his mother sang at the opera. On the opera stage at the age of eleven, he made his acting debut in a production with his mother. At the age of 17, he ran away from home with a stray circus, a year later he entered the theater stage, later became a director. Kertesh received his professional education at the Royal Academy of Theatre and Art. From 1912 he played in films, making his debut in the first Hungarian feature film. He became a film director in 1914, having learned the achievements of cinema in Holland and served on his return in the army. Until 1919, he produced about 30 films, and after the Hungarian Revolution, he emigrated and worked in Germany, Sweden, France and Austria and made 21 films in seven years. In 1926, the director received an invitation from Jack Warner - American film moguls were particularly impressed by the epic productions of Sodom and Gomorrah (1922) and The Slave Queen (1924) - and until 1953 he shot at the Warner Brothers studio. Michael Curtitz successfully staged films of various genres, on his account - classic thrillers "Doctor X" (1932) and "The Secret of the Wax Museum" (1933), dramas "20,000 years in Sing Sing" (1933) and "Woman" (1933), detective "Murder on the Psarna" (1933), film adaptation of "Sea Wolf" (1941). Since 1935, the director has directed numerous adventure films with Errol Flynn, including Captain Blood (1935), Attack of the Light Cavalry Brigade (1936), and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). In the history of cinema, Michael Curtitz also entered the famous melodrama "Casablanca", staged in 1942 and brought him an Oscar for directing. The heyday of the director`s work fell precisely on the 1930s-1940s - among his subsequent notable films - the "black film" Mildred Pierce (1945), the musical "Night and Day" (1946), the comedy "Life with Father" (1947). With the collapse of the Hollywood studio system in the 1950s, Michael Curtitz’s career went into decline. The director died on April 10, 1962, and his last film was the Western Comancheros (1961) with John Wayne.

On January 24, 1961, Blank was involved in a serious car accident. He received a fracture of both legs and pelvic bones, but the most serious was a traumatic more

On January 24, 1961, Blank was involved in a serious car accident. He received a fracture of both legs and pelvic bones, but the most serious was a traumatic brain injury, which resulted in a three-week coma.

George Dewey Cukor was born on July 7, 1899 in New York (USA). He began his creative career in the theater in 1919, getting a job as an assistant director more

George Dewey Cukor was born on July 7, 1899 in New York (USA). He began his creative career in the theater in 1919, getting a job as an assistant director at the Chicago Theater “The Better ‘Ole”. From 1920 to 1927, George Cukor worked as a director at the Lyceum Theatre in Rochester and then at the Empire Theatre on 42nd Street. In the whirlpool of cinema Cukor dragged in 1929 - first he wrote dialogue, then was the second director and co-director. Cukor’s first production was the satirical comedy “The Defected Lady”, and the director gained popularity thanks to film adaptations of works of classical and modern literature – on his account “Little Women”, “David Copperfield”, “Lady with Camellia”, “Romeo and Juliet”. George Cukor filmed famous stars of cinema - John Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Catherine Hepburn. Some of the best films of the director were the films “A Star Is Born” (with Judy Garland) and “Wild Wind” (with Anna Magnani and Anthony Quinn). A special place in the work of George Cukor takes a magnificent adaptation of the famous musical “My Fair Lady”, in which the main roles were performed by the unforgettable Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

Deservedly considered one of the brightest representatives of the humanistic direction of film art of the twentieth century, who managed to combine traditional more

Deservedly considered one of the brightest representatives of the humanistic direction of film art of the twentieth century, who managed to combine traditional Russian and Western styles in his work, Akira Kurosawa was born in 1910 in Tokyo.

Feeling an interest in painting, in 1927 Akira Kurosawa became a student of the Dosusya School of Painting. However, the fascination with cinema was stronger. Since 1936, Akiro Kurosawa has gained his first cinematic experience, working as an assistant director at a film studio. His first full-length work was Sugata Sanziro or the Legend of the Great Master of Judo, which was a great success for the audience. Follow-up work - "Drunk Angel" and "Rasemon" - brought the director world fame, and Rasemon was even awarded several awards - the Grand Prix of the Venice Festival and the Oscar for best foreign film.

The multifaceted talent of Akir Kurosawa was embodied in subsequent works. "Heaven and Hell" "Shadow of the Warrior," "Idiot" , which brought the director the love of the audience and numerous cinematic awards. /

Francois Truffaut was born in Paris, France on February 6, 1932. Roland Truffaut is the adoptive father of the child, the boy has never seen his own father. more

Francois Truffaut was born in Paris, France on February 6, 1932. Roland Truffaut is the adoptive father of the child, the boy has never seen his own father. From an early age, François was in the care of nannies and grandmothers, his love for books and music is her merit. At the age of ten, his mother and stepfather took the boy to their home, but he did not like to spend time at home, trying to appear there as rarely as possible. Truffaut's best friend was Robert Laschenet, whom he met in his youth and communicated until his death.


At the age of 8, the boy saw the film for the first time, it was Abel Hans’ Paradis Perdu. With this began his film mania, later because of this he often skipped school. If there was no money for the ticket, he sneaked into the cinema and watched all the movies in a row. He was expelled from several schools.

At the age of 14, he finally left school and began writing articles for magazines with his friend Jean-Luc Godard.


The first work in the film business for the young director was the picture “The Visit”, on which he worked in 1954, but his real debut took place only in 1959, when a full-length film appeared on the screens. Four hundred strokes" .


The film brought the young director not only world fame, but also an award at the International Festival in Cannes. Then followed the work on the paintings: "Stolen kisses" Jules and Jim, Antoine and Colette. Francois Truffaut constantly conducted experiments with various genres, he filmed a scientific novel. "Fahrenheit 451" Stylized the gangster film “Shoot the pianist” and directed the thriller “Green Room”. In 1973, the director directed the film American Night, which was nominated for an Oscar. In 1977, he played a role in the fantastic film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” by Steven Spielberg. Truffaut's last work was Merry Sunday in 1983. The famous actor, screenwriter and director died on October 21, 1984 from brain cancer.

English director Lin David was born in Croydon on March 25, 1908. From a young age he began to work at the film studio as a messenger, then as an editor, more

English director Lin David was born in Croydon on March 25, 1908. From a young age he began to work at the film studio as a messenger, then as an editor, and in 1942 he made his first film as a co-director, and his tape “Short Meeting” in 1945 brought him the Golden Palm at the International Cannes Film Festival. In 1946, a film based on the novel by Charles Dickens “Great Expectations” was published, and in 1948 the film “Oliver Twist” was filmed. Lin David had a rare sense of style and ability to work with actors. It is with the name of Lin David that the concept of “big cinema” appears in directing. Film Bridge over the River Kwai It is associated with large-scale, with the high cost of staging. In the film, the director links private history with major historical events. Lin Davies worked very carefully on the individual components of the film. The same thing happened with the movie. Lawrence of Arabia He was nominated for seven Oscars. In the film there are panoramic shootings of mass scenes, and again the director did not leave the development of subtle parts of the characters. For this novelty, Lin Davis was recognized as a master of directing.


However, in the 60s, his innovation in directing sounded academic, and the film “Doctor Zhivago” (1965) clearly illustrates this. The novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak is dominated by a word that did not fit into the framework of Hollywood scales. But the film was still a success with the audience, although it was not the best work of the master. The same was evident in the 1970 film “Daughters of Ryan”, in the romantic love story of a young Irish girl and an English officer during the Irish War of Independence. The film used declassified military optics, which again allowed to show the scale of the scenes and the film received an Oscar in the nomination “for best camera work”.


Painting by Lin David "Travel to India" It became the so-called retro, returned the viewer again to the great epic.

Lin David was awarded the knighthood.


Lin David died and was buried in England in 1991.

Jonathan Demme was born on February 22, 1944 in New York City. He began writing screenplays for low-budget films in the early 70s, and later gained recognition more

Jonathan Demme was born on February 22, 1944 in New York City. He began writing screenplays for low-budget films in the early 70s, and later gained recognition as a director - for the sharp style of his films, for eccentric characters and unexpected plots. The masterpiece that brought him world fame was the film “Silence of the Lambs” (1991), for which he received an Oscar for best director, as well as the film “Philadelphia” (1993).

Georges Méliès is a French director, actor and one of the founders of world cinema. Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès was born in 1861 in Paris in the family more

Georges Méliès is a French director, actor and one of the founders of world cinema.

Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès was born in 1861 in Paris in the family of an industrialist. The boy had the opportunity to spend time with his hobbies, among which were theater and the art of stage illusion.


In 1895, Méliès visited one of the first film screenings of the Lumière brothers, which impressed him very much. Georges then purchased a similar English-made camera and began experimenting. He created the first special effect using a stop frame.

In 1897, Méliès opened his own Star Film studio and began making his own short films and pseudo-chronicles. Among the famous works of that time can be noted “The Dreyfus Affair”, “The Coronation of Edward VII” and some other works. Between 1896 and 1913, Georges Méliès directed more than 500 films ranging in length from 1 to 40 minutes. One of the most famous was the comedy. "Journey to the Moon" 1902, which became the first science fiction film. Méliès wanted to enter the US market, but failed to do so. The fact is that all the rights to the shows belonged to Edison. He just took copies of Méliès' films and showed them to the United States. When Georges found out, he burned most of his negatives in the studio. No one knows how many movies they have made.

In 1914, Méliès sold his studio due to the fact that he received almost nothing from showing films in America, and his business became unprofitable. Then he began to work for the company Pate. Soon, many forgot about his achievements in cinema and remembered only in 1932. Méliès died in 1938.

Biography of Méliès formed the basis of the film 2011 The Timekeeper. It was played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley. For his merits, the French director was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Mike Nichols (real name - Mikhail Igorevich Peshkovsky) was born on November 6, 1931 in Berlin, in the family of a doctor, a Russian Jew. In 1939, the more

Mike Nichols (real name - Mikhail Igorevich Peshkovsky) was born on November 6, 1931 in Berlin, in the family of a doctor, a Russian Jew. In 1939, the family emigrated to the United States from Nazi Germany. After the death of his father, the family was on the verge of poverty, and to pay for his studies at the University of Chicago, Mike Nichols worked as a night watchman, postal worker, and truck driver. Fascinated by his acting career, he studied at Lee Strasberg's Acting Studio (New York), and on his return to Chicago, organized an improvisational theater troupe. Mike Nichols began his career as a comedian and singer with performances in restaurants and cabaret. After touring his Broadway productions and television appearances, including with his first wife Helen May, Mike Nichols made his Broadway debut as a director in 1963. His comedies were very popular, and in 1966 the director made his film debut - bringing to the screen the famous drama "Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf?". The main roles in the film were played by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Barton. With this very successful work, nominated for the Academy Award in 13 nominations at once, the director immediately declared himself as an “actor” director, and actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis were awarded the Oscar. No less interest was caused by the next picture of Nichols - "The Graduate", based on the novel by C. Webb, released in 1967. It was in her, which became the manifesto of the “new Hollywood”, that the talent of Dustin Hoffman was first clearly revealed. For "The Graduate," Nichols won an Oscar for directing. The anti-war Catch-22 (1970) based on the novel by D. Heller, however, remained a disappointment for most viewers, but the director was rehabilitated by Carnal Knowledge (1971). Having staged Dolphin Day (1973) and State (1975), Mike Nichols in the second half of the 1970s again turned to theatrical productions, and was awarded 6 Tony Awards for them. In 1983, the director triumphantly returned to cinema with the social drama about the trade union activist Silkwood. Then followed "Jealousy" ("Oskomin") (1985) and "Biloxy Blues" (1988), popular with the audience was "Business Woman" (1988) with Melanie Griffith in the title role. The next directorial works of Mike Nichols were the dramas Postcards from the edge of the abyss (1990) and Something About Harry (1991), the parable film The Wolf (1994) with Jack Nichols in the title role was a great success. The audience was interested in his films “Cage for Birds” (1996) and “Basic Colors” (1998). An obvious failure was the film “From What Planet Are You?” (2000), but a year later the director rehabilitated himself by filming the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a teacher who began to fight cancer – “Epilogue” (2001). The main role in the film was played by Emma Thompson.