Film Director Biography

The first major biography of one of Old Hollywood’s greatest directors. Sometime partner of the eccentric Howard Hughes, drinking buddy of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, an inveterate gambler and a notorious liar, Howard Hawks was the most modern of the great masters and one of the first directors to declare his independence from the major studios. He played Svengali to Lauren Bacall, Montgomery Clift, and others, but Hawks’s greatest creation may have been himself.

The untold, intimate story of how three young visionaries—Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg—revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history while risking everything, redefining friendship, and shaping Hollywood as we know it. "Shaun...

In 1971, Newsweek heralded The Last Picture Show as "the most impressive work by a young American director since Citizen Kane." Indeed, few filmmakers rivaled Peter Bogdanovich's popularity over the next decade. Riding the success of What's Up, Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973), Bogdanovich became a bona fide celebrity, making regular appearances in his own movie trailers, occasionally hosting late-night television shows, and publicly advocating for mentors John Ford and Howard Hawks.

Sanford Meisner was one of the best known and beloved teachers of acting in the country. This audiobook follows one of his acting classes for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Written in...

“A visceral and incisive collection of six propulsive personal essays.” —Vanity Fair *A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * Named a Most-Anticipated Book by Entertainment Weekly, Lit Hub, and AV Club * New York Times Paperback Row* From the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of...

A New York Times Editor's Choice! This outrageous and hilarious memoir follows a film and television director’s life, from his idiosyncratic upbringing to his unexpected career as the director behind film franchises like The Addams Family and Men in Black. Barry Sonnenfeld's philosophy is...

Billy Wilder: A Complete Guide to the Life, Films, and Legacy of Hollywood’s Master Storyteller is the definitive resource for anyone who loves classic cinema and wants to understand one of its greatest creative minds. From noir masterpieces like Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard to beloved comedies like Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, Billy Wilder’s career spanned nearly five decades and reshaped the possibilities of film. This comprehensive book explores his remarkable journey from his beginnings in Vienna and Berlin to his rise as an Academy Award–winning director in ...

An in-depth look at, and written in collaboration with, the man considered to be the most profound, and commercially successful director at work today--a franchise unto himself--whose deeply personal million-dollar blockbuster movies (The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), Dunkirk (2017)...

Alfred Hitchcock: A Complete Guide to the Life, Films, and Legacy of the Master of Suspense is the definitive introduction to one of cinema’s most influential directors. From his beginnings in silent film to his Hollywood masterpieces like Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo, Hitchcock redefined the thriller and transformed how audiences experience suspense. This comprehensive guide takes readers through Hitchcock’s entire career with clarity and depth. Inside, you’ll discover his early British films, his groundbreaking innovations in visual storytelling, his collaborations with ...

Discover the extraordinary life and legendary films of John Ford, the director who defined American cinema. John Ford: A Complete Guide to the Life, Films, and Legacy of One of America’s Greatest Directors explores the career of the four-time Academy Award winner whose iconic works shaped how the world sees the American West, family, community, and national identity. From his Irish immigrant roots to his rise in Hollywood, Ford’s journey reflects the story of America itself, captured through unforgettable films like Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, The Searchers, and The Quiet Man. This...

Director, writer, and actor Jay Chandrasekhar tells the hilarious stories behind his films Super Troopers and Super Troopers 2 (out on 4/20/2018!), the history of his comedy group, Broken Lizard, and everything in between. Jay Chandrasekhar has spent the past two decades writing, directing, and...

Today's most acclaimed film directors reveal intimate behind-the-scenes details of their most influential work and their unique approaches to their art. In the companion to the Silver Plaque-winning Starz/Encore documentary series, this book offers interviews with 13 top filmmakers. Contains each director's filmography, complete listings of major awards, and cast credits for all films discussed.

Step into the dazzling and dreamlike world of Federico Fellini, one of cinema’s greatest visionaries. From the heartbreaking simplicity of La Strada to the surreal brilliance of 8½ and the iconic glamour of La Dolce Vita, Fellini reshaped the art of film forever. In Federico Fellini: A Complete Guide to the Films, Vision, and Legacy of Italy’s Greatest Director, readers will discover the stories behind his masterpieces, the evolution of his unique style, and the collaborations that defined his extraordinary career. This comprehensive guide takes you through Fellini’s life and work ...

The inside story of what it took to bring Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Broadway as the unlikely theatrical hit Spamalot, told through actual diary entries from the legendary comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and New York Times bestselling author On March 17, 2005, Spamalot...

Discover the life and legacy of Sergei Eisenstein, the Soviet filmmaker who redefined cinema and revolutionized the art of storytelling through the power of montage. From his groundbreaking silent films like Strike and Battleship Potemkin to his ambitious epics Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible, Eisenstein reshaped film into a medium of ideas, politics, and emotional intensity. This comprehensive guide explores his personal journey, his struggles with censorship, and his enduring influence on world cinema. In this complete account, readers will find detailed chapters on Eisenstein’s ...

Orson Welles: The Complete Guide to His Life and Films is an in-depth exploration of one of cinema’s greatest and most complex figures. From his meteoric rise with Citizen Kane to his legendary battles with Hollywood studios, Welles’s career was as dramatic as the films he created. This book offers readers a comprehensive journey through his early life, groundbreaking theater and radio years, his Hollywood triumphs and struggles, his European masterpieces, and his enduring influence on generations of filmmakers. Inside, you’ll discover: The bold early experiments of the Mercury ...

Step into the shadows of cinema history with Fritz Lang: A Complete Guide to the Life, Films, and Legacy of the Visionary Director. From the monumental spectacle of Metropolis to the chilling psychological depth of M and the hard-boiled intensity of The Big Heat, Fritz Lang redefined what movies could be. This comprehensive guide traces his journey from the cultural ferment of Vienna and the innovation of Weimar Germany to his dramatic escape from the Nazi regime and reinvention in Hollywood, where he became one of the architects of film noir. Inside, you’ll discover the stories behind ...

Stanley Kubrick: The Complete Guide to the Films, Themes, and Legacy of a Visionary Director is your ultimate deep dive into one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history. From the haunting corridors of The Shining to the infinite mysteries of 2001: A Space Odyssey, this comprehensive guide explores every film Kubrick directed—examining his groundbreaking techniques, recurring themes, and cinematic impact. Spanning early noir thrillers like The Killing to the enigmatic final masterpiece Eyes Wide Shut, each chapter offers insightful analysis and behind-the-scenes context that ...

Brought to you by Penguin. From one of the most iconic actors in the history of film, an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in full To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and...

Born to immigrant parents and raised in the slums of Toronto during the Depression, Ted Kotcheff learned storytelling on the streets before taking a stagehand job at CBC Television. Discovering his skills with actors and production, Kotcheff went on to direct some of the greatest films of the freewheeling 1970s, including The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Wake in Fright, and North Dallas Forty.