A pillar of the American film industry, William Wyler directed some of the best loved movies of his time. Known for his sensitive direction of great actors, he worked with some of the best, including John Barrymore, Bette Davis, Humphry Bogart, and Myrna Loy. Today he is considered both a master director and a substantial influence on American culture.Born to Jewish parents in Germany in 1902, Wyler became interested in American culture at an early age. His cousin, Carl Laemmle, was the head of Universal Pictures, and in 1920 brought Wyler to America. Before long he was living in Hollywood and working on films. Within five years he was an assistant director, concentrating much of his energy on short Westerns.By the early 1930s, Wyler had begun to direct features, and with COUNSELORATLAW 1933 he received his first taste of success. Centered around a New York lawyer, the film distinguished itself through subtle and moving cinematography. He followed it two years later with two films, a comedy written by Preston Sturges called THE GOOD FAIRY, and THE GAY DECEPTION 1935.By 1936, Wyler had teamed up with Samuel Goldwin to make the film, THESE THREE. This film would mark the beginning of an often difficult yet incredibly successful collaboration between the two men. The following year they made DODSWORTH, a film that dealt with a decaying marriage, and in 1937 DEAD END, about life in the slums. Throughout the mid and late 1930s Wyler was consistently experimenting with the technologies of filmmaking while maintaining great concern for the integrity of the actors’ performances.Working with Bette Davis throughout the early 1940s, Wyler created such classic films as THE LETTER1940 and THE LITTLE FOXES 1941. Both intense and serious dramas, they expressed a sense of emotional and dramatic depth unlike many films that had come before. Wylers technical precision, his ability to display the meaningful angle of a profound moment, gave each actor a depth that allowed them to create more realistic characters.During the mid1940s, Wyler was in the Army, where he made a number of documentaries. Before leaving for the service he had had his most popular film, MRS. MINIVER, and upon returning he made what is considered his best, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES 1946. Both about wartime, MRS. MINIVER dealt with the lives of the British during the war, while THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES hit home with a serious look at the lives of three veterans returning home from the war.

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