Wyler,William
b.July I, 1902; Muhlhausen,Alsace d.July 27, I98I; Beverly Hills, California
German American film director. After studying music in Lausanne (Switzerland) and in Paris in his teen years, Wyler emigrated to the United States in 1920.
His first job was at Universal Studios’ branch in New York City, where he was hired by Carl Laemmle, a German emigre and cousin of Wyler’s mother, who was a very influential producer and had introduced many German directors, such as Paul Leni and Karl Freund, to Hollywood in the 1920s. In 1922 Wyler became second assistant for various projects in Hollywood. Starting in 1925 he directed or codirected some forty Westerns and gained recognition after the silent period with Hell’s Heroes (1930).Although he began in low-budget series, Wyler proved he could adapt his style to many genres and not just Westerns: drama (Counselor at Law, 1933); comedy (The Good Fairy, 1935); melodrama (Wuthering Heights, adaptation from Emily Bronte, 1939); and war films about the German bombings of England (Mrs. Miniver, 1942). Also, Wyler contributed to creating the Bette Davis legend in three popular feature films: Jezebel (1938), The Letter (1940), and The Little Foxes (1941).
During World War II, Wyler became a member of the U.S. Air Force and while in England, directed two propaganda documentaries for the U.S. War Department: The Memphis Belle (1944) and Thunderbolt (1945). Back in the United States after the war, Wyler released his most important film, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), which is a social critique of how the U.S. veterans were left behind after their sacrifice at war in Europe. Nevertheless, Wyler’s most famous film remains Ben-Hur (1959), a story he had already filmed as an assistant in a silent version (directed by Fred Niblo) in 1925. Presented by its producers as “The Greatest Movie of All Time,” this epic, flamboyant movie gained countless awards and soon became a classic.
Yves Laberge
See also Hollywood; Leni, Paul
References and Further Reading
Herman, Jan. A Talent for Trouble: The Life of Hollywood’s Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler. New York: Da Capo, 1997.
Kern, Sharon. William Wyler, a Guide to References and Resources. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1984.