William Wyler
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.
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Movies (78)
William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy
2025 · Himself (Archival)
Hollywood's Second World War
2019 · Self (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
2019 · Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
The Cold Blue
2018 · Himself (archive footage)
Five Came Back
2017 · Self (archive footage)
Roman Holiday
2016 · Writer
History Rediscovered: The Memphis Belle
2011 · Director
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
2006 · Self (archive footage)
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
2005 · Self (archive footage)
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
2002 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
2001 · Self
Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'
2000 · Self (archive footage)
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
2000 · Self (archive footage)
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
1993 · Self - Director (archive footage)
Directed by William Wyler
1986 · Self
Laurence Olivier: A Life
1982 · Self
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
1970 · Director, Producer
Funny Girl
1968 · Director
How to Steal a Million
1966 · Director
The Collector
1965 · Director
The Children's Hour
1961 · Director, Producer
Ben-Hur
1959 · Director
The Big Country
1958 · Director, Producer
Fun in the Big Country
1958 · Self
Friendly Persuasion
1956 · Director, Producer
The Letter
1956 · Director, Producer
Stars of Cabaret
1956 · Self (archive footage)
The Desperate Hours
1955 · Director, Producer
Roman Holiday
1953 · Director, Producer
Carrie
1952 · Director, Producer
Detective Story
1951 · Director, Producer
The Screen Director
1951 · Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
The Heiress
1949 · Director, Producer
Thunderbolt
1947 · Director
The Best Years of Our Lives
1946 · Drug Store customer (uncredited), Director
The Fighting Lady
1944 · Director
The Memphis Belle
1944 · Director, Writer, Director of Photography
Mrs. Miniver
1942 · Director, Producer
The Little Foxes
1941 · Director
The Letter
1940 · Director, Producer
The Westerner
1940 · Director
Wuthering Heights
1939 · Director
The Cowboy and the Lady
1938 · Co-Director
Jezebel
1938 · Director, Producer
Dead End
1937 · Director
Come and Get It
1936 · Director
Dodsworth
1936 · Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (uncredited), Director
These Three
1936 · Director
The Gay Deception
1935 · Director
The Good Fairy
1935 · Director
Glamour
1934 · Director
Counsellor at Law
1933 · Director
Her First Mate
1933 · Director
Tom Brown of Culver
1932 · Director
A House Divided
1931 · Director
The Storm
1930 · Director
Hell's Heroes
1929 · Director
The Love Trap
1929 · Director, Producer
The Shakedown
1929 · Director
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
1928 · Director
Thunder Riders
1928 · Director
Desert Dust
1927 · Director
The Border Cavalier
1927 · Director
The Horse Trader
1927 · Director
The Ore Raiders
1927 · Director
Hard Fists
1927 · Director
Straight Shootin'
1927 · Director
Blazing Days
1927 · Director
The Two Fister
1927 · Director
The Stolen Ranch
1926 · Director
Lazy Lightning
1926 · Director
Martin of the Mounted
1926 · Director
Don't Shoot
1926 · Director
The Fire Barrier
1926 · Director
Ridin' for Love
1926 · Director, Story
The Gunless Bad Man
1926 · Director
The Crook Buster
1925 · Director
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1923 · Assistant Director
