William Wyler

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.

Known For

Great Performances

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Oscars

Cinépanorama

The American Film Institute Salute to ...

The Best Years of Our Lives

Dodsworth

Five Came Back

All Movies (17)

• William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy2025 · as Himself (Archival)
• Hollywood's Second World War2019 · as Self (archive footage)
• Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic2019 · as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
• The Cold Blue2018 · as Himself (archive footage)
• Five Came Back2017 · as Self (archive footage)
• Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema2005 · as Self (archive footage)
• Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film2002 · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies2001 · as Self
• Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'2000 · as Self (archive footage)
• Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic1993 · as Self - Director (archive footage)
• Directed by William Wyler1986 · as Self
• Laurence Olivier: a life1982 · as Self
• Fun in the Big Country1958 · as Self
• Stars of Cabaret1956 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Screen Director1951 · as Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
• The Best Years of Our Lives1946 · as Drug Store customer (uncredited)
• Dodsworth1936 · as Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (uncredited)

All TV Shows (5)

• The American Film Institute Salute to ...1973 · as Self
• Great Performances1971 · as Self
• Cinépanorama1956 · as Self
• The Oscars1953 · as Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show1948 · as Self