William Wyler
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- July 1, 1902
- Place of birth
- Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]
- Died
- July 27, 1981
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.
Movies with William Wyler
- The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 · ★ 7.7
- Dodsworth 1936 · ★ 7.1
- Five Came Back 2017 · ★ 7.9
- The Cold Blue 2018 · ★ 6.7
- Stardust: The Bette Davis Story 2006 · ★ 6.7
- Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic 1993 · ★ 7.7
- Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic 2019 · ★ 7.0
- Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema 2005 · ★ 6.5
- Hollywood's Second World War 2019 · ★ 8.0
- The Screen Director 1951 · ★ 7.0
- Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies 2001 · ★ 8.5
- William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy 2025 · ★ 8.0
- Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film 2002 · ★ 8.0
- Laurence Olivier: A Life 1982 · ★ 10.0
- Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance 2000 · ★ 9.0
- Fun in the Big Country 1958
- Stars of Cabaret 1956
- Directed by William Wyler 1986
- Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley' 2000
Movies directed by William Wyler
- Ben-Hur 1959 · ★ 7.9
- Roman Holiday 1953 · ★ 7.9
- The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 · ★ 7.7
- How to Steal a Million 1966 · ★ 7.5
- Funny Girl 1968 · ★ 7.1
- The Big Country 1958 · ★ 7.6
- The Children's Hour 1961 · ★ 7.7
- Wuthering Heights 1939 · ★ 7.2
- Mrs. Miniver 1942 · ★ 7.1
- The Heiress 1949 · ★ 7.8
- The Letter 1940 · ★ 7.3
- The Collector 1965 · ★ 7.4
- Jezebel 1938 · ★ 7.0
- The Little Foxes 1941 · ★ 7.5
- The Desperate Hours 1955 · ★ 7.1
- Detective Story 1951 · ★ 7.1
- Dead End 1937 · ★ 7.1
- Dodsworth 1936 · ★ 7.1
- Friendly Persuasion 1956 · ★ 6.7
- The Westerner 1940 · ★ 7.1
- Carrie 1952 · ★ 6.4
- These Three 1936 · ★ 7.1
- Come and Get It 1936 · ★ 6.8
- The Memphis Belle 1944 · ★ 6.7
- The Good Fairy 1935 · ★ 7.1
- Counsellor at Law 1933 · ★ 6.5
- The Liberation of L.B. Jones 1970 · ★ 6.1
- Thunderbolt 1947 · ★ 6.2
- Hell's Heroes 1929 · ★ 7.1
- The Shakedown 1929 · ★ 5.6
- The Fighting Lady 1944 · ★ 6.5
- The Love Trap 1929 · ★ 5.9
- The Gay Deception 1935 · ★ 6.4
- The Stolen Ranch 1926 · ★ 6.1
- A House Divided 1931 · ★ 5.6
- Glamour 1934 · ★ 4.2
- The Two Fister 1927 · ★ 6.3
- Tom Brown of Culver 1932 · ★ 6.8
- The Storm 1930 · ★ 7.0
- Her First Mate 1933 · ★ 10.0