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William Wyler
Director 1902 - 1981

William Wyler

Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]

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... Read full bio →

Directed Films

Every film this person directed

27 titles
The Liberation of L.B. Jones

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

William Wyler 1970 1h 42m 9.0

A successful African American businessman has a quarrel with a white policeman, suspecting that he is having an affair with his wife. The policeman's colleagues are seeking to avoid publicity.

Funny Girl

Funny Girl

William Wyler 1968 2h 35m 7.3

The life of famed 1930s comedienne Fanny Brice, from her early days in the Jewish slums of New York, to the height of her career with the Ziegfeld Follies, as well as her marriage to the rakish gambler Nick Arnstein.

How to Steal a Million

How to Steal a Million

William Wyler 1966 2h 3m 7.6

Nicole's father, a legendary art collector, lends his prized Cellini Venus to a prestigious Paris museum. Unfortunately, the Venus was a forgery sculpted by Nicole's grandfather. Before tests can be done which would prove the Venus a fake, Nicole enlists the services of "society burglar" Simon Demott to steal the million dollar statue.

The Collector

The Collector

William Wyler 1965 1h 59m 7.4

A man kidnaps a woman and holds her hostage just for the pleasure of having her there.

The Children's Hour

The Children's Hour

William Wyler 1961 1h 48m 8.7

An unruly student at a private all-girls boarding school scandalously accuses the two women who run it of having a romantic relationship.

Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur

William Wyler 1959 3h 32m 8.5

Ben Hur is the critically acclaimed monumental masterpiece historical film starring Charlton Heston as a chariot racer in the first century. The film is a cult classic.

The Big Country

The Big Country

William Wyler 1958 2h 47m 7.7

A New England sea captain in the 1880s arrives at his fiancée's sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.

Friendly Persuasion

Friendly Persuasion

William Wyler 1956 2h 17m 8.0

The story of a family of Quakers in Indiana in 1862. Their religious sect is strongly opposed to violence and war. It's not easy for them to meet the rules of their religion in everyday life but when Southern troops pass the area they are in real trouble. Should they fight, despite their peaceful attitude?

The Desperate Hours

The Desperate Hours

William Wyler 1955 1h 52m 7.5

Escaped convicts terrorize a suburban family they''re holding hostage.

Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday

William Wyler 1953 1h 59m 8.0

Roman Holiday is a romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck involving a mix-up game with a young and beautiful princess who spends some days with the charming American reporter in Rome.

Carrie

Carrie

William Wyler 1952 1h 58m 7.5

Carrie's dreams of adventure in the big city are quickly squashed as she discovers all that awaits her there is a bleak life of grueling and poorly-paid factory work. That is, until a traveling salesman named Drouet steps into her life and changes her outlook...

Detective Story

Detective Story

William Wyler 1951 1h 43m 7.6

On one day in the 21st Precinct squad room, assorted characters form a backdrop for the troubles of hard-nosed Detective Jim McLeod.

The Heiress

The Heiress

William Wyler 1949 1h 55m 7.6

A naive young woman falls for a handsome young man her emotionally abusive father suspects is only a fortune hunter.

The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives

William Wyler 1946 2h 51m 7.7

The Best Years of Our Lives is a classic film from director Williams Wyler about three war veterans. The film earned seven Oscars in 1946.

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress

William Wyler 1944 45m 3.0

Documentary about the 25th and last bombing mission of a B17, the "Memphis Belle". The "Memphis Belle" took part in a great bombing raid on sub-pens in Wilhelmshafen, Germany. On their way they encounterd heavy AA fire and interceptors.

Mrs. Miniver

Mrs. Miniver

William Wyler 1942 2h 14m 7.0

Middle-class housewife Kay Miniver deals with petty problems. She and her husband Clem watch her Oxford-educated son Vin court Carol Beldon, the charming granddaughter of the local nobility as represented by Lady Beldon. Then the war comes and Vin joins the RAF.

The Little Foxes

The Little Foxes

William Wyler 1941 1h 57m 8.8

The ruthless, moneyed Hubbard clan lives in, and poisons, their part of the deep South at the turn of the 20th century.

The Westerner

The Westerner

William Wyler 1940 1h 40m 6.7

Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.

The Letter

The Letter

William Wyler 1940 1h 35m 7.8

The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death claiming he "tried to make love to me" and killed him to save her honour. When a damning letter she wrote on the day of the shooting turns up in the hands of her attorney he becomes suspicious.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

William Wyler 1939 1h 44m 7.3

Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy.

Jezebel

Jezebel

William Wyler 1938 1h 43m 7.4

In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.

Dead End

Dead End

William Wyler 1937 1h 33m 7.3

Dead End concerns itself with several denizens of New York's East River district. Here the elite and the slum-dwellers rub shoulders due to the close proximity of the riverfront tenements with the East Side luxury hotels.

These Three

These Three

William Wyler 1936 1h 33m

Close friends Martha and Karen build a private boarding school together with the aid of the local doctor Joe. The school takes off and many students enroll, one of whom is a trouble-maker who tells a scandalous lie that threatens to destroy the trio's lives.

Dodsworth

Dodsworth

William Wyler 1936 1h 41m 7.3

An adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' novel about a middle-aged American automobile tycoon who retires and goes to Europe, where he and his appearance-conscious, snobbish wife find differing sets of values... and new relationships.

Come and Get It

Come and Get It

Howard Hawks, William Wyler 1936 1h 39m

An ambitious lumberjack abandons his saloon girl lover so that he can marry into wealth, but years later becomes infatuated with the woman's daughter.

The Good Fairy

The Good Fairy

William Wyler 1935 1h 38m

In 1930s Budapest, naïve orphan Luisa Ginglebuscher becomes an usherette at the local movie house, determined to succeed in her first job by doing good deeds for others and maintaining her purity. Luisa's well-meaning lies get her caught between a lecherous businessman, Konrad, and a decent but confused doctor, Max Sporum.

The Shakedown

The Shakedown

William Wyler 1929 1h 5m 6.0

A grifter in a boxing scam learns a better way from an orphan and a beautiful girl.

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