William Wyler

Born: 1902-07-01 in Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]

Died: 1981-07-27

Known For: Directing

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.

Filmography

2025

William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy as Himself (Archival)

2019

Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Hollywood's Second World War as Self (archive footage)

2018

The Cold Blue as Himself (archive footage)

2017

Five Came Back as Self (archive footage)

1993

Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic as Self - Director (archive footage)

1986

Directed by William Wyler as Self

1982

Laurence Olivier: a life as Self

1973

The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self

1971

Great Performances as Self

1970

The Liberation of L.B. Jones ... (Director)

1968

Funny Girl ... (Director)

1966

How to Steal a Million ... (Director)

1965

The Collector ... (Director)

1961

The Children's Hour ... (Director)

1959

Ben-Hur ... (Director)

1958

The Big Country ... (Producer)
Fun in the Big Country as Self

1956

Cinépanorama as Self
Friendly Persuasion ... (Director)
Stars of Cabaret as Self (archive footage)

1955

The Desperate Hours ... (Producer)

1953

The Oscars as Self
Roman Holiday ... (Producer)

1952

Carrie ... (Director)

1951

Detective Story ... (Director)
The Screen Director as Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)

1949

The Heiress ... (Director)

1948

The Ed Sullivan Show as Self

1947

Thunderbolt ... (Director)

1946

The Best Years of Our Lives as Drug Store customer (uncredited)

1944

The Memphis Belle ... (Director)
The Fighting Lady ... (Director)

1942

Mrs. Miniver ... (Director)

1941

The Little Foxes ... (Director)

1940

The Letter ... (Director)
The Westerner ... (Director)

1939

Wuthering Heights ... (Director)

1938

Jezebel ... (Producer)
The Cowboy and the Lady ... (Co-Director)

1937

Dead End ... (Director)

1936

Dodsworth as Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (uncredited)
Come and Get It ... (Director)
These Three ... (Director)

1935

The Gay Deception ... (Director)
The Good Fairy ... (Director)

1934

Glamour ... (Director)

1933

Counsellor at Law ... (Director)
Her First Mate ... (Director)

1932

Tom Brown of Culver ... (Director)

1931

A House Divided ... (Director)

1930

The Storm ... (Director)

1929

Hell's Heroes ... (Director)
The Love Trap ... (Director)
The Shakedown ... (Director)

1928

Anybody Here Seen Kelly? ... (Director)
Thunder Riders ... (Director)

1927

The Border Cavalier ... (Director)
Hard Fists ... (Director)
The Horse Trader ... (Director)
Straight Shootin' ... (Director)
Blazing Days ... (Director)
Desert Dust ... (Director)
The Ore Raiders ... (Director)
The Two Fister ... (Director)

1926

Martin of the Mounted ... (Director)
Ridin' for Love ... (Director)
Don't Shoot ... (Director)
The Stolen Ranch ... (Director)
Lazy Lightning ... (Director)
The Fire Barrier ... (Director)
The Gunless Bad Man ... (Director)

1925

The Crook Buster ... (Director)

1923

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ... (Assistant Director)