William Wyler

William Wyler (1902-1981), American film director, born in Mulhouse, Germany (now part of France). In 1920, after studying business and music in Europe, he went to the United States; he became a US citizen in 1928. Following a two-year apprenticeship in film-making, Wyler directed a string of silent westerns, starting in 1925. His early sound films revealed his unique talent for adapting stage and literary works to the screen; the long list of examples includes Counsellor at Law (1933), Wuthering Heights (1939), and The Little Foxes (1941). A favourite director of Samuel Goldwyn between 1936 and 1946, Wyler won three Academy Awards for best direction and best picture: Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959). He also produced documentaries while stationed in England during World War II, and helped form his own production company along with others, including Frank Capra, in 1948. In 1976 he received the Life Achievement Award of the American Film Institute.