William Wyler

William Wyler
c. 1945
Born	Wilhelm (Willy) Weiller (1902-07-01)July 1, 1902 Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire (present-day Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France)
Died	July 27, 1981(1981-07-27) (aged 79) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Nationality	American, Swiss
Occupation	Film director, producer
Years active	1925–1970
Spouse(s)	Margaret Sullavan (1934–1936; divorced) Margaret Tallichet (1938–1981; his death; 5 children)

William Wyler, born as Wilhelm (Willy) Weiller (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born American film director, producer and screenwriter.^[1]:37 Notable works included Ben-Hur (1959), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Mrs. Miniver (1942), all of which won Academy Awards for Best Director, as well as Best Picture in their respective years, making him the only director of three Best Picture winners. Wyler received his first Oscar nomination for directing Dodsworth in 1936, starring Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton and Mary Astor, "sparking a 20-year run of almost unbroken greatness."^[2]:24

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."^[2]:57 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 and into the 60's. Other popular Wyler films include: Hell's Heroes (1930), Dodsworth (1936), Jezebel (1938), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Westerner (1940), The Letter (1940), The Heiress (1949), Roman Holiday (1953), Friendly Persuasion (1956), The Big Country (1958), The Children's Hour (1961), How to Steal a Million (1966), and Funny Girl (1968).

Early life

Wyler was born^[3] to a Jewish family^[4]:1220 in Mulhouse, Alsace (then part of the German Empire).^[5]:3 His Swiss father, Leopold, started as a traveling salesman which he later turned into a thriving haberdashery business in Mulhouse. His mother, Melanie (née Auerbach;^[6] died February 13, 1955, Los Angeles, aged 77), was German, and a cousin of Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Pictures. During Wyler's childhood, he attended a number of schools and developed a reputation as "something of a hellraiser", being expelled more than once for misbehavior.^[4]:1222 His mother often took him and his older brother Robert to concerts, opera, and the theatre, as well as the early cinema. Sometimes at home his family and their friends would stage amateur theatricals for personal enjoyment.^[4]:1223

Wyler was supposed to take over the family business. After World War I, he spent a dismal year working in Paris at 100.000 Chemises selling shirts and ties. He was so poor that he often spent his time wandering around the Pigalle district. After realizing that Willy was not interested in the haberdashery business, his mother contacted her distant cousin about opportunities for him. Laemmle was in the habit of coming to Europe each year, searching for promising young men who would work in America. In 1921, Wyler, while traveling as a Swiss citizen (his father's status automatically conferred Swiss citizenship to his sons), met Laemmle who hired him to work at Universal Studios in New York. As Wyler said: "America seemed as far away as the moon." Booked onto a ship to New York with Laemmle upon his return voyage, he met a young Czech man, Paul Kohner (later the famous independent agent), aboard the same ship. Their enjoyment of the first class trip was short-lived as they found they had to pay back the cost of the passage out of their $25 weekly income as messengers to Universal Pictures. After working in New York for several years, and even serving in the New York Army National Guard for a year, Wyler decided that he wanted to go to Hollywood to become a director.^[1]:37

Directing career

1920s

Around 1923, Wyler arrived in Los Angeles and began work on the Universal Studios lot in the swing gang, cleaning the stages and moving the sets. His break came when he was hired as a second assistant editor. His work ethic was uneven with Irving Thalberg nicknaming him "Worthless Willy." After some ups and downs (including getting fired), he focused on becoming a director. He started as a third assistant director and by 1925 he became the youngest director on the Universal lot directing the westerns that Universal was famed for turning out. In 1928, he became a naturalized United States citizen.^[5]:73

He directed his first non-Western, the lost Anybody Here Seen Kelly?, in 1928. This was followed by his first part-talkie films, The Shakedown and The Love Trap. He proved himself an able craftsman. Wyler became a United States citizen in 1928.

1930s

In the early 1930s began directing such films as Hell's Heroes, Dead End, and The Good Fairy. He became well known for his insistence on multiple retakes, resulting in often award-winning and critically acclaimed performances from his actors. After leaving Universal he began a long collaboration with Samuel Goldwyn for whom he directed such classics as Dodsworth (1936),^[7] These Three (1936) and Dead End (1937). Wuthering Heights (1939),^[8] The Westerner (1940), The Little Foxes (1941) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). It was during this time that Wyler began his famous collaboration with cinematographer Greg Toland. Toland and Wyler virtually created the "deep focus" style of film making wherein mutiple layers of action or characters could be seen in one scene, most famous being the bar scene in The Best Years of Our Lives. Toland went onto utilize the deep focus he mastered with Wyler when he shot Orson Welle's Citizen Kane.^[9][10]

Bette Davis received three Oscar nominations for her screen work under Wyler, and won her second Oscar for her performance in Wyler's 1938 film Jezebel.^[12][13] She told Merv Griffin in 1972 that Wyler trained her with that film to be a "far, far better actress" than she had been.^[14] She recalled a scene that was only a bare paragraph in the script, but "without a word of dialog, Willy created a scene of power and tension. This was moviemaking on the highest plane," she said. "A scene of such suspense that I never have not marveled at the direction of it."^[5]:162 During her acceptance speech when she received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1977, she thanked him.^[15]

Laurence Olivier, whom Wyler directed in Wuthering Heights (1939) for his first-ever Oscar nomination, credited Wyler with teaching him how to act for the screen, despite clashing with Wyler on multiple occasions. Olivier would go on to hold the record for the most nominations in the Best Actor category at nine, tied with Spencer Tracy. Critic Frank S. Nugent wrote in the New York Times, "William Wyler has directed it magnificently. It is, unquestionably, one of the most distinguished pictures of the year."^[16]:88 Variety described Olivier's performance as "fantastic... he not only brings conviction to his portrayal but translates intelligently its mystical quality."^[16]:93

Five years later, in 1944, while visiting London, Wyler met with Olivier and his actress wife, Vivien Leigh. She invited him to see her performance in The Doctor's Dilemma, and Olivier asked him to direct him in his planned film, Henry V. But Wyler said he was "not a Shakespearian" and turned down the offer.^[17][18]

In 1950, Wyler and Olivier made a second film together, Carrie, which was not a commercial success. However, some critics state that it nonetheless contains Olivier's finest film performance, but because of its old-fashioned story, the film was very under-appreciated:^[16]:128[19] In critic Michael Billington's opinion:

If there were any justice in the world, Laurence Olivier would have got an Oscar for his unforgettable performance in Carrie.^[20]:137

Director and screenwriter John Huston had been a close friend of Wyler during his career. When he was twenty-eight and penniless, sleeping in parks in London, Huston returned to Hollywood to see if he could find work. Wyler, four years his senior, had met Huston when he was directing his father, Walter Huston, in Dodsworth in 1936, and they got along well. Wyler thought Huston had the skill to be a good writer, and asked him to doctor the script for Jezebel.^[21]:152 He later inspired Huston to become a director and became his "early mentor."^[21]:xiii When America entered World War II in 1941, Wyler, Huston Anatole Litvak and Frank Capra, by then all directors, enlisted at the same time.^[22] Later in his career, Huston recalled his friendship with Wyler during an interview:

Willy was certainly my best friend in the industry.... We seemed instantly to have many things in common.... Willy liked the things that I liked. We'd go down to Mexico. We'd go up in the mountains. And we'd gamble. He was a wonderful companion....He was equally capable of playing Beethoven on his violin, speeding around town on his motorcycle, or schussing down steep virgin snow trails.^[23]

1940s

In 1941, Wyler directed Mrs. Miniver, based on the 1940 novel, it was the story of a middle class English family adjusting to the war in Europe and the bombing blitz in London.^[24][25] It starred Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Pidgeon, originally had doubts about taking on the role, until fellow actor Paul Lukas told him, "You will find working with Wyler to be the most delightful experience you ever had, and that's the way it turned out." Pidgeon recalls: "One thing that would have been a terrific regret in my life is if I had succeeded in getting out of doing Mrs. Miniver"^[26]:335 He received his first Oscar nomination for his role, while his co-star, Greer Garson won her first and only Academy Award for her performance.

The idea for the film was controversial, since it was intended to make America less isolationist. By portraying the real-life suffering of British citizens in a fictional story, Americans might be more prone to help Britain during their war effort.^[24][27] The film succeeded in its propaganda elements, showing England during its darkest days of the war.^[26]:145 Years later, after having been in the war himself, Wyler said that the film "only scratched the surface of war... It was incomplete."^[26]:228

However, before America entered the war in December 1941, all films that could be considered anti-Nazi were banned by the Hays Office.^[28]:277 Even the U.S. ambassador to England, Joseph Kennedy, told the studios to stop making pro-British and anti-German films. Kennedy felt that British defeat was imminent.^[29] But MGM producer Eddie Mannix disagreed, saying that "someone should salute England. And even if we lose $100,000, that'll be okay."^[28]:344 Mrs. Miniver went on to win six Academy Awards, becoming the top box office hit of 1942. It was Wyler's first Academy Award for Best Director.^[30]

President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill both loved the film, said historian Emily Yellin, and Roosevelt wanted prints rushed to theaters nationwide. The Voice of America radio network broadcast the minister's speech from the film, magazines reprinted it, and it was copied onto leaflets and dropped over German-occupied countries. Churchill sent MGM head Louis B. Mayer a telegram claiming that "Mrs. Miniver is propaganda worth 100 battleships."^[31] Bosley Crowther wrote in his New York Times review that Mrs. Miniver was the finest film yet made about the war, "and a most exalting tribute to the British."^[32]

Between 1942 and 1945 Wyler volunteered to serve as a major in the United States Army Air Forces and directed a pair of documentaries: The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944), the story of a Boeing B-17 and its U.S. Army Air Force crew;^[33] and Thunderbolt! (1947), with Lester Koenig and John Sturges, highlighting a P-47 fighter-bomber squadron in the Mediterranean.^[3] Wyler filmed The Memphis Belle at great personal risk, flying over enemy territory on actual bombing missions in 1943; on one flight, Wyler passed out from lack of oxygen. Wyler's associate, cinematographer Harold J. Tannenbaum, a First Lieutenant, was shot down and perished during the filming.^[34]

Working on Thunderbolt! Wyler was exposed to such loud noise that he passed out. When he awoke, he found he was deaf in one ear.^[5] Partial hearing with the aid of a hearing aid eventually came back years later.^[35] Wyler returned from the War a disabled veteran.^[36]

Returning from the War and unsure whether he could work again, Wyler turned to a subject that he knew well^[36] and directed a film which captured the mood of the nation as it turned to peace after the war, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).^[37] This story of the homecoming of three veterans from World War II dramatized the problems of returning veterans in their adjustment back to civilian life. Arguably his most personal film, Best Years drew on Wyler's own experience returning home to his family after three years on the front. The Best Years of Our Lives won the Academy Award for Best Director (Wyler's second) and Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as seven other Academy Awards.

In 1949 Wyler directed The Heiress, which earned Olivia de Havilland her second Oscar and garnered additional Oscars for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Music. The film is considered by some to be a highlight in her career, "that could strike envy even in the most versatile and successful actress," according to one critic.^[38][39][40]

De Havilland had seen the play in New York and felt she could play the lead perfectly. She then called Wyler to convince him to have Paramount buy the film rights. He flew to New York to see the play, and moved by the story, convinced the studio to buy it. Along with de Havilland, he managed to get Montgomery Clift and Ralph Richardson to co-star.^{[17]:265[41][42]}

1950s

During the immediate postwar period, Wyler directed a handful of critically acclaimed and influential films. Roman Holiday (1953) introduced Audrey Hepburn to American audiences in her first starring role, winning her an Academy Award for Best Actress.^[43][44] Wyler said of Hepburn years later, when describing truly great actresses, "In that league there's only ever been Garbo, and the other Hepburn, and maybe Bergman. It's a rare quality, but boy, do you know when you've found it."^[45] The film was an instant hit, also winning for Best Costume Design (Edith Head), and Best Writing (Dalton Trumbo). Hepburn would eventually do three movies with Wyler, who her son said was one of the most important directors in her career.^[46][47]

Friendly Persuasion (1956) was awarded the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival. And in 1959, Wyler directed Ben-Hur, which won 11 Oscars, a feat unequaled until Titanic in 1997. He had also assisted in the production of the 1925 version.

Wyler and Heston both knew what the film meant for MGM, which had massive investments in its final outcome, with the film's budget having gone from $7 million to $15 million, and the fact that MGM was already in dire financial straits.^[48] They were aware that if it failed at the box office, MGM might go bankrupt.^[49]

The film, like many epics, was difficult to make. When Heston was asked which scene he enjoyed doing most, he said "I didn't enjoy any of it. It was hard work."^[50] Part of the reason for that was the financial stress placed on making the film a success. With a cast of fifteen thousand extras, a leading star, and being shot on 70mm film with stereophonic tracks, it was the most expensive film ever made at that time.^[49] The nine-minute chariot race, for example, took six months to film.^[51]

Ben-Hur became a great box office success. Wyler won his third Academy Award for Best Director and Charlton Heston his first and only Academy Award as its star.^[52][53][54] Heston recalled in his autobiography that at first he had doubts about taking the role. But his agent advised him otherwise: "Don't you know that actors take parts with Wyler without even reading the damn script? I'm telling you, you have to do this picture!"^[17]

Kirk Douglas had lobbied Wyler, who directed him in Detective Story in 1951, for the title role, but only after Wyler had already decided on Heston. He offered him instead the role of Messala, which Douglas rejected. Douglas then went on to star in Spartacus (1960).^[55][56]

Ben-Hur cost $15 million to produce but earned $47 million by the end of 1961 and $90 million worldwide.^[57][58] Audiences mobbed movie theaters in the months after it opened. Critic Pauline Kael praised Wyler's achievement:

I admire the artist who can make something good for the art house audience; but I also applaud the commercial heroism of a director who can steer a huge production and keep his sanity and perspective and decent human feelings beautifully intact.^[59]:96

1960s

In 1968 he directed Barbra Streisand in her debut film, Funny Girl, costarring Omar Sharif, which became a huge financial success.^[17]:385 It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and like Audrey Hepburn in her first starring role, Streisand won as Best Actress, becoming the thirteenth actor to win an Oscar under his direction.^{[17]:385[60][61]}

Streisand had already starred in the Broadway play of Funny Girl, with seven hundred performances. And although she knew the part well, Wyler still had to mold her stage role for the screen.^[62] She naturally wanted to be involved in the film's production, often asking Wyler questions, but they both got along well.^[63][64][65] "Things were ironed out when she discovered some of us knew what we were doing," kidded Wyler.

What originally attracted him to direct Streisand was similar to what attracted him about Audrey Hepburn, who had also been new to film audiences. He met with Streisand during her run of the play and became excited at the prospect of guiding another new star into an award-winning performance. He sensed and admired that Streisand had the same kind of dedication to being an actress as did Bette Davis, early in her career. "It just needed to be controlled and toned down for the movie camera."^[20] Wyler said afterwards:

I'm terribly fond of her. She was very professional, very good, a hard worker, too hard at times. She would work day and night if you would let her. She is absolutely tireless.^[66][67]

Style

Wyler had worked with cinematographer Gregg Toland for six of his films, mostly in the 1930s. Toland used deep focus photographic technique for most of them, whereby he could keep all objects on the screen, whether foreground or background, in sharp focus at the same time. The technique gives the illusion of depth, and therefore makes the scene more true to life.^[59]:77

A perfectionist, Wyler earned the nickname "40-take Wyler". On the set of Jezebel, Wyler forced Henry Fonda through 40 takes of one particular scene, his only guidance being "Again!" after each take. When Fonda asked for more direction, Wyler responded, "It stinks." Similarly, when Charlton Heston quizzed the director about the supposed shortcomings of his performance in Ben-Hur, Wyler simply told Heston^[3] "Be better!"^[68] However, Heston notes that by the time a scene is done, regardless of how hard it was to do, it always came off well:

The only answer I have is that his taste is impeccable and every actor knows it. Your faith in his taste and what it will do for your performance is what makes casting a Wyler picture a cinch...doing a film for Wyler is like getting the works in a Turkish bath. You darn near drown, but you come out smelling like a rose."^[5]:351

Legacy

Fourteen actors won Oscars under Wyler's direction, including Bette Davis in Jezebel (1938) and her nomination for The Letter (1940).^[69] Davis summed up their work together: "It was he who helped me to realize my full potential as an actress. I met my match in this exceptionally creative and talented director."^[59]:79[70]

Other Oscar winners were Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949), Audrey Hepburn in her debut film, Roman Holiday (1953),^[71] Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur (1959), and Barbra Streisand in her debut film, Funny Girl (1968).

Wyler's films garnered more awards for participating artists and actors than any other director's in the history of Hollywood.^[72] He received 12 Oscar nominations for Best Director in total, while dozens of his collaborators and actors won Oscars or were nominated. In 1965, Wyler won the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for career achievement. Eleven years later, he received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. In addition to his Best Picture and Best Director Oscar wins, 13 of Wyler's films earned Best Picture nominations. Other late Wyler films include The Children's Hour (1961), which was nominated for five Academy Awards.^[73] Later films included The Collector (1963), Funny Girl (1968), and his final film, The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970).

Personal life and death

Wyler was briefly married to actress Margaret Sullavan (from November 25, 1934 – March 13, 1936)^[74] and married actress Margaret "Talli" Tallichet on October 23, 1938.^[75][76] The couple remained together until his death; they had five children: Catherine, Judith, William Jr., Melanie and David. Catherine said during an interview that her mother played an important part in his career, often being his "gatekeeper" and his reader of scripts presented to him.^[77]

On July 24, 1981, Wyler gave an interview with his daughter, Catherine, for Directed by William Wyler, a PBS documentary about his life and career.^[78] Three days later, he died from a heart attack. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, near his older brother, Robert Wyler, sister-in-law, actress Cathy O'Donnell and his son, William "Billy" Wyler, Jr in Glendale, California.^{[79][80][81][82]}

Honors and awards

Wyler is the most nominated director in Academy Awards history with 12 nominations. He won the Academy Award for Best Direction on three occasions, for his direction of Ben-Hur, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Mrs. Miniver. He is tied with Frank Capra and behind John Ford, who won four Oscars in this category.

Wyler also has the distinction of having directed more actors to Oscar-nominated performances than any other director in history: thirty-six. Out of these nominees, fourteen went on to win Oscars.^[83]

William Wyler received the fourth AFI Life Achievement Award in 1976.^[84] Among those who thanked him for directing her in her debut film, was Barbra Streisand.^[85]

For his contributions to the motion picture industry, on February 8, 1960, Wyler has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1731 Vine Street.^[86][87]

Year	Film	Category	Result
Academy Awards
1936	Dodsworth	Best Director	Nominated
1939	Wuthering Heights	Best Director	Nominated
1940	The Letter	Best Director	Nominated
1941	The Little Foxes	Best Director	Nominated
1942	Mrs. Miniver	Best Director	Won
1946	The Best Years of Our Lives	Best Director	Won
1949	The Heiress	Best Motion Picture	Nominated
		Best Director	Nominated
1952	Detective Story	Best Director	Nominated
1953	Roman Holiday	Best Motion Picture	Nominated
		Best Director	Nominated
1957	Friendly Persuasion	Best Motion Picture	Nominated
		Best Director	Nominated
1959	Ben-Hur	Best Director	Won
1965	The Collector	Best Director	Nominated
	Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award		Won
Directors Guild of America
1952	Detective Story	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Nominated
1954	Roman Holiday	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Nominated
1957	Friendly Persuasion	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Nominated
1959	The Big Country	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Nominated
1960	Ben-Hur	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Won
1962	The Children's Hour	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Nominated
1966		Lifetime Achievement Award
1969	Funny Girl	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Nominated

Filmography

This is a list of films directed by William Wyler.

Silent films
Year	Title	Studio	Genre	Cast	Notes
1925	The Crook Buster	Universal	Western	Jack Mower, Janet Gaynor	UMS*
1926	The Gunless Bad Man	Universal	Western		UMS
1926	Ridin' for Love	Universal	Western		UMS
1926	The Fire Barrier	Universal	Western		UMS
1926	Don't Shoot	Universal	Western		UMS
1926	The Pinnacle Rider	Universal	Western		UMS
1926	Martin of the Mounted	Universal	Western		UMS
1926	Lazy Lightning	Universal	Western		UBSS**
1926	The Stolen Ranch	Universal	Western		UBSS
1927	The Two Fister	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	Kelcy Gets His Man	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	Tenderfoot Courage	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Silent Partner	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	Blazing Days	Universal	Western		UBSS
1927	Straight Shootin'	Universal	Western		UBSS
1927	Galloping Justice	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Haunted Homestead	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	Hard Fists	Universal	Western		UBSS
1927	The Lone Star	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Ore Raiders	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Home Trail	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	Gun Justice	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Phantom Outlaw	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Square Shooter	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Horse Trader	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	Daze of the West	Universal	Western		UMS
1927	The Border Cavalier	Universal	Western		UBSS
1927	Desert Dust	Universal	Western	Ted Wells
1928	Thunder Riders	Universal	Western	Ted Wells
1928	Anybody Here Seen Kelly?	Universal	Comedy	Bessie Love, Tom Moore
1929	The Shakedown	Universal	Drama	James Murray, Barbara Kent	Part-Talking film
1929	The Love Trap	Universal	Comedy	Laura La Plante, Neil Hamilton	Part-Talking film

* Universal's Mustang Series. Wyler made 21 two-reeler films for this series, all with a duration of 24 minutes.

** Universal's Blue Streak Series. Wyler made 6 five-reeler films for this series, all with a duration of an hour.

Sound films
Year	Title	Studio	Genre	Cast	Notes
1930	Hell's Heroes	Universal	Drama	Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatton, Fred Kohler
1930	The Storm	Universal	Drama	Lupe Vélez, Paul Cavanagh, William Boyd
1931	A House Divided	Universal	Drama	Walter Huston, Kent Douglas, Helen Chandler
1932	Tom Brown of Culver	Universal	Drama	Tom Brown, H.B. Warner, Slim Summerville
1933	Her First Mate	Universal	Comedy	Slim Summerville, Zasu Pitts, Una Merkel
1933	Counsellor at Law	Universal	Drama	John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels
1934	Glamour	Universal	Drama	Paul Lukas, Constance Cummings, Philip Reed
1935	The Good Fairy	Universal	Comedy	Margaret Sullavan
1935	The Gay Deception	Fox	Comedy	Frances Dee, Francis Lederer
1936	These Three	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	Drama	Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea
1936	Dodsworth	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	Drama	Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor
1936	Come and Get It	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	Drama	Joel McCrea, Edward Arnold, Frances Farmer, Walter Brennan	Replaced Howard Hawks after 42 days
1937	Dead End	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	Crime	Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sydney
1938	Jezebel	Warner Bros.	Romance	Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent
1939	Wuthering Heights	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	Romance	Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon
1940	The Westerner	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	Western	Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan
1940	The Letter	Warner Bros. First National	Drama	Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall
1941	The Little Foxes	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	Drama	Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright
1942	Mrs. Miniver	MGM	War Drama	Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright
1944	The Memphis Belle	First Motion Picture Unit	War		Documentary First Technicolor film
1946	The Best Years of Our Lives	Samuel Goldwyn Co.	War Drama	Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell, Teresa Wright
1947	Thunderbolt!	United States Air Force	War		Co-directed with John Sturges Documentary / Short Film
1949	The Heiress	Paramount	Drama	Olivia De Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Miriam Hopkins
1951	Detective Story	Paramount	Film-noir	Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker
1952	Carrie	Paramount	Drama	Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins
1953	Roman Holiday	Paramount	Romance	Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck
1955	The Desperate Hours	Paramount	Film-noir	Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March
1956	Friendly Persuasion	Allied Artists	Drama	Gary Cooper	DeLuxe Color film
1958	The Big Country	Anthony Productions	Drama	Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston	Technicolor film
1959	Ben-Hur	MGM	Drama	Charlton Heston	Technicolor film
1961	The Children's Hour	Mirisch Productions	Drama	Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins
1965	The Collector	Columbia	Drama	Terence Stamp, Samantha Eggar	Technicolor film
1966	How to Steal a Million	Fox	Comedy	Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole	Technicolor film
1968	Funny Girl	Columbia / Rastar	Drama	Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif	Technicolor film
1970	The Liberation of L.B. Jones	Columbia	Drama	Lee J. Cobb, Anthony Zerbe, Roscoe Lee Browne, Lola Falana	Technicolor film

References

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Wyler.

• William Wyler at the Internet Movie Database
• William Wyler bibliography via UC Berkeley Media Resources Center
• In Loving Memory Of William Wyler
• Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
• "The Little Foxes" and Wyler's screen collaborations with playwright Lillian Hellman
• Margaret Tallichet and William Wyler remembered at Alabama festival
• The Fighting Lady
• William Wyler papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences