William Wyler
Known for: Directing
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
Series
Great Performances
Self
1971
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
Cinépanorama
Self
1956
Series
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
1973
Film
The Best Years of Our Lives
Drug Store customer (uncredited)
1946
Series
Five Came Back
Self (archive footage)
2017
Film
Directed by William Wyler
Self
1986
Film
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
2019
Film
Dodsworth
Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (uncredited)
1936
Film
Five Came Back
Self (archive footage)
2017
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2002
Film
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Self (archive footage)
2005
Film
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Self (archive footage)
2006
Film
The Cold Blue
Himself (archive footage)
2018
The Screen Director
Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
1951
Film
Laurence Olivier: A Life
Self
1982
Film
Hollywood's Second World War
Self (archive footage)
2019
Film
Fun in the Big Country
Self
1958
Film
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
Self
2001
Film
William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy
Himself (Archival)
2025
Film
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
Self - Director (archive footage)
1993
Film
Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Stars of Cabaret
Self (archive footage)
1956