Film director and producer, born in Vienna, Austria. He abandoned a career as a lawyer to act and work in the theatre with Max Reinhardt, and he directed his first film in 1931. Coming to the USA (1933) to direct Libel on Broadway, he moved to Hollywood but quarrelled with Darryl Zanuck, who prevented him from directing films. During World War 2, with Zanuck away, he took the opportunity to act (playing Nazis, although Jewish himself) and direct in three films, and then was allowed to produce and direct Laura (1944), which was a big success. In the early 1950s he became an independent producer and director, and enjoyed considerable success with such films as Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Exodus (1960). Although most of his films were simply popular entertainment, his The Moon is Blue (1953) broke new ground with its use of what was then regarded as sexually explicit language (virgin and pregnant), while The Man with the Golden Arm (1957) was the first Hollywood film to deal so explicitly with drug addiction.
| Otto Preminger | |
|---|---|
| Born |
5 December 1906 Vienna, Austria |
| Died |
23 April 1986 New York, New York, USA |
Otto Ludwig Preminger (December 5, 1906 – April 23, 1986) was a film director.
After the war, he became well known as a Hollywood director in the 1950s and early 1960s — delivering films that were well received by critics such as Andrew Sarris.
The bald-headed Preminger was known to fulfill the stereotype of the demanding Teutonic terror, in the vein of directors such as Erich von Stroheim and Fritz Lang.
In the 1960s Batman television series, Preminger was one of three actors who played Mr. Freeze.
Ingo Preminger, who produced the 1970 M*A*S*H movie, is Otto Preminger's brother.
Otto Preminger died in 1986, aged 79, of cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, New York.
Filmography
Die große Liebe (1931) Under Your Spell (1936) Danger, Love at Work (1937) Kidnapped (1938) Clare Booth Luce's Margin for Error (U.S.) also known as Margin for Error (UK) (1943) In the Meantime, Darling (1944) Laura (1944) A Royal Scandal (U.S.) also known as Czarina (UK) (1945) Fallen Angel (1945) Forever Amber (1947) Daisy Kenyon (1947) The Fan (U.S.) also known as Lady Windermere's Fan (UK) (1949) Whirlpool (1950) Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) The 13th Letter (1951) Angel Face (1952) Stalag 17 (1953) The Moon is Blue (1953) Carmen Jones (1954) River of No Return (1954) The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (U.S.) also known as One Man Mutiny (UK) (1955) The Man with the Golden Arm (1956) Saint Joan (1957) Bonjour Tristesse (1958) Porgy and Bess (1959) Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Exodus (1960) Advise and Consent (1962) The Cardinal (1963) In Harm's Way (1964) Bunny Lake is Missing (1965) Hurry Sundown (1967) Tell Me That You Love Me (1968) Skidoo (1968) Such Good Friends (1971) Rosebud (1975) The Human Factor (1979)Awards
Preminger received one Oscar nomination for Best Picture for Anatomy of a Murder.
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