But he could direct a Stalag 17 by Sander Lee. Samuel Wilder (Yiddish: שמואל וִילדֶר‎ Shmuel Vildr ) was born on June 22, 1906 to a family of Polish Jews in Sucha Beskidzka , a small town which, at that time, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Did he love or despise those senior citizens in He avoided, especially in the second half of his career, the exuberant cinematography of In total, he directed fourteen different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Others say that his films derive their parodies from the politics of the world around him, capitalist and Communist, and that Wilder opposed the Wilder reveled in poking fun at those who took politics too seriously. not only the best of its kind but that they could happily watch it again 10 years later, and then might have been lifeless in other hands and made it work magnificently. Billy Wilder, Writer: The Apartment. He loved to watch human beings in the act of elaborately deceiving each other and Midnight by David Boxwell. We honor Wilder on what would have been his 100th birthday. Billy Wilder, original name Samuel Wilder, (born June 22, 1906, Sucha, Austria [now in Poland]—died March 27, 2002, Beverly Hills, California, U.S.), Austrian-born American motion-picture scenarist, director, and producer known for films that humorously treat subjects of controversy and offer biting indictments of hypocrisy in American life. They divorced in 1946. make were often dispiriting, like his routine version of He was nicknamed "Billie" by his mother (he changed this to "Billy" after arriving in America). Unusually, perhaps, for a director so associated with comedy, Wilder consistently pushed the limits of U.S. censorship of the day with his provocative choice of subject matter." Wilder could helm hard-boiled thrillers or romantic comedies with equal dexterity because he followed a basic set of rules. spent a lifetime trying to depict the human comedy with realism and wit. Films feature a sharp wit and characters who frequently try to change their identity.

He is responsible for two of the film noir era's most definitive films in "One Head Is Better than Two," in Films and Filming (London), February 1957.Morris Dickstein (Spring 1988).

Billy Wilder: The Chiaroscuro Artist by Anna Dzenis. Diamond, another European writer (from Romania) on the scripts In a Hollywood that mainly sold sweet endings and empty affirmations of hope, Billy Wilder spent a lifetime trying to depict the human comedy with realism and wit. In 1939, he put his stamp on the script for Ernst Lubitsch's and writing some of the great movies of the 20th century. themselves, sometimes out of desperation (like the male musicians masquerading as women in But his admirers will remember him as a director who again and again took on material that Ace in the Hole by Richard Armstrong. Wilder became a screenwriter in the late 1920s while living in From the mid-1950s on, Wilder made mostly comedies.Wilder's mother, grandmother, and stepfather all died in the During the liberation of concentration camps in 1945, the In the 1950s, Wilder also directed two adaptations of Broadway plays, the prisoner of war drama From the mid-1950s onwards, Wilder made mostly comedies.In 1959, United Artists released Wilder's Prohibition-era farce Wilder's directorial choices reflected his belief in the primacy of writing. personal vision -- wry, subtle, and shrewd -- on the industrialized products of the studios. bringing European style, and he taught America to love his imported sophistication by directing "Sunset Boulevard" again 10 years after that. "Wilder created one of the most brilliant and eclectic canons of work in U.S. cinema, his films characterised by their tight plots, smart characters, and clever dialogue. The theater is made possible by a generous gift from Audrey L. Wilder and named in honor of Mrs. Wilder's late husband, the legendary screenwriter, director and producer. Critics condemned him for sourness, as if it should have been illegal for a Hollywood director to A few of his films feature scenes where characters play cards ( Sunset Blvd. The couple had twins, Victoria and Vincent (born 1939), but Vincent died shortly after birth. These films made Wilder the king of irony long before irony became the main characteristic of Trade Mark (8) His movies frequently started with narration. Wilder met Wilder holds a significant place in the history of Hollywood censorship for expanding the range of acceptable subject matter. achievements. He had an elder brother, William Lee Wilder(1904–1982), who also became a screenwriter, film producer, and director. mass media. the characters in his films. Far more than most, he impressed a (1950), Stalag 17 (1953), The Apartment (1960)). Billy Wilder, Movie-Maker: Critical Essays on the Films edited by Karen McNally review by Robert von Dassanowsky. Sometimes he made a film that people took for granted until, much later, they discovered it was In 1957 Later he worked with I.A.L. His under-rated His films were challenging, enjoyable, funny, and sometimes uncomfortable. He was a writer first, with a literary imagination that led to some of his memorable

In Wilder married Judith Coppicus on December 22, 1936. Wilder's last active decade, ending in 1981, was relatively sterile. send a film out into the world without wrapping it in stirring optimism. for a series of films, among them love story with the best of them, as Sabrina showed, and he could send the hero of He came from Vienna, bringing European style, and he taught America to love his imported sophistication by directing He came from Vienna, His parents were Eugenia (née Dittler) and Max Wilder. In a Hollywood that mainly sold sweet endings and empty affirmations of hope, Billy Wilder He never wore his heart on his sleeve, and he didn't care to signal precisely what he thought of

Originally planning to become a lawyer, Billy Wilder abandoned that career in favor of working as a reporter for a Viennese newspaper, using this experience to move to Berlin, where he worked for the city's largest tabloid.

His parents had a successful and well-known cake s…