Person
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)…
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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 Picture. He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing Dodsworth in 1936, sparking a 20-year run of almost unbroken greatness. 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." 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.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
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2025
William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy
Movie Himself (Archival)
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2019
Hollywood's Second World War
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2019
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Movie Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
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2018
The Cold Blue
Movie Himself (archive footage)
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2017
Five Came Back
TV show Self (archive footage)
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2017
Five Came Back
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2016
Roman Holiday
Movie Writer
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2011
History Rediscovered: The Memphis Belle
Movie Director
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2006
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2005
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2002
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
Movie Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
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2001
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
Movie Self
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2000
Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2000
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1993
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
Movie Self - Director (archive footage)
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1986
Directed by William Wyler
Movie Self
More credits
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1982
Laurence Olivier: A Life
Movie Self
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1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
TV show Self
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1971
Great Performances
TV show Self
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1970
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
Movie Director
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1968
Funny Girl
Movie Director
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1966
How to Steal a Million
Movie Director
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1965
The Collector
Movie Director
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1961
The Children's Hour
Movie Director
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1959
Ben-Hur
Movie Director
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1958
The Big Country
Movie Director
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1958
Fun in the Big Country
Movie Self
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1956
Friendly Persuasion
Movie Director
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1956
The Letter
Movie Director
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1956
Cinépanorama
TV show Self
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1956
Stars of Cabaret
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1955
The Desperate Hours
Movie Director
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1953
Roman Holiday
Movie Director
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1953
The Oscars
TV show Self
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1952
Carrie
Movie Director
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1951
Detective Story
Movie Director
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1951
The Screen Director
Movie Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
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1949
The Heiress
Movie Director
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1948
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV show Self
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1947
Thunderbolt
Movie Director
