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William Wyler

Directing

Born: 1902-07-01
Died: 1981-07-27
From: Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]
Gender: Male
Popularity: 0.8

Also Known As

Wilhelm WeillerBill Wyler윌리엄 와일러윌리암 와일러

Biography

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.

Photos5

Awards & Nominations12 won · 14 nominated

🏆 Won

AFI Life Achievement Award

1976
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

The Collector

1966
🏆 Won

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

1965
🏆 Won

Golden Plate Award

1961
🏆 Won

BAFTA Award for Best Direction

Ben-Hur

1960
🏆 Won

Golden Globe Award for Best Director

Ben-Hur

1960
🏆 Won

Golden Globe Awards

1960
🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Director

Ben-Hur

1960
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

Ben-Hur

1960
🏆 Won

Palme d'Or

Friendly Persuasion

1957
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

Friendly Persuasion

1957
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Picture

Friendly Persuasion

1957
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

Roman Holiday

1954
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Picture

Roman Holiday

1954
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

Detective Story

1952
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

The Heiress

1950
🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Director

The Best Years of Our Lives

1947
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

The Best Years of Our Lives

1947
🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Director

Mrs. Miniver

1943
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

Mrs. Miniver

1943
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

The Little Foxes

1942
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

The Letter

1941
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

Wuthering Heights

1940
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Director

Dodsworth

1937
🏆 Won

star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

🏆 Won

Directors Guild of America Award

Acting20 titles

Laurence Olivier: a life
10.0
Movie

Laurence Olivier: a life

1982Documentary
Cinépanorama
8.7
Series

Cinépanorama

1956-1965Documentary
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
8.5
Movie

Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies

2001Documentary
Hollywood's Second World War
8.0
Movie

Hollywood's Second World War

2019Documentary
Five Came Back
7.9
Movie

Five Came Back

2017Documentary
The Best Years of Our Lives
7.8
Movie

The Best Years of Our Lives

1946Drama
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
7.7
Movie

Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic

1993Documentary
Dodsworth
7.1
Movie

Dodsworth

1936Drama
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
7.0
Movie

Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic

2019Documentary
The Oscars
7.0
Series

The Oscars

1953 - ...Drama
The Ed Sullivan Show
6.8
Series

The Ed Sullivan Show

1948-1971Comedy
The Cold Blue
6.7
Movie

The Cold Blue

2018Action
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
6.6
Movie

Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema

2005Documentary
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
6.3
Series

The American Film Institute Salute to ...

1973 - ...Documentary
Great Performances
6.1
Series

Great Performances

1971 - ...Comedy
Fun in the Big Country
0
Movie

Fun in the Big Country

1958Documentary
Stars of Cabaret
0
Movie

Stars of Cabaret

1956Documentary
Directed by William Wyler
0
Movie

Directed by William Wyler

1986Documentary
Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'
0
Movie

Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'

2000Documentary
William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy
0
Movie

William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy

2025Documentary

Directing54 titles

Her First Mate
10.0
Movie

Her First Mate

1933Comedy
Ridin' for Love
10.0
Movie

Ridin' for Love

1926Action
The Crook Buster
10.0
Movie

The Crook Buster

1925Action
Blazing Days
10.0
Movie

Blazing Days

1927Action
Lazy Lightning
10.0
Movie

Lazy Lightning

1926Action
Hard Fists
10.0
Movie

Hard Fists

1927Action
Straight Shootin'
9.0
Movie

Straight Shootin'

1927Action
The Border Cavalier
9.0
Movie

The Border Cavalier

1927Action
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
8.0
Movie

Anybody Here Seen Kelly?

1928Comedy
Ben-Hur
7.9
Movie

Ben-Hur

1959Drama
Roman Holiday
7.9
Movie

Roman Holiday

1953Romance
The Best Years of Our Lives
7.8
Movie

The Best Years of Our Lives

1946Drama
The Heiress
7.8
Movie

The Heiress

1949Drama
The Children's Hour
7.6
Movie

The Children's Hour

1961Drama
The Big Country
7.6
Movie

The Big Country

1958Drama
How to Steal a Million
7.5
Movie

How to Steal a Million

1966Comedy
The Little Foxes
7.5
Movie

The Little Foxes

1941Drama
The Collector
7.3
Movie

The Collector

1965Thriller
The Letter
7.3
Movie

The Letter

1940Thriller
Wuthering Heights
7.2
Movie

Wuthering Heights

1939Drama
Funny Girl
7.2
Movie

Funny Girl

1968Comedy
These Three
7.2
Movie

These Three

1936Drama
Dodsworth
7.1
Movie

Dodsworth

1936Drama
Mrs. Miniver
7.1
Movie

Mrs. Miniver

1942Drama
Dead End
7.1
Movie

Dead End

1937Thriller
The Westerner
7.1
Movie

The Westerner

1940Action
The Good Fairy
7.1
Movie

The Good Fairy

1935Comedy
Hell's Heroes
7.1
Movie

Hell's Heroes

1929Action
Jezebel
7.0
Movie

Jezebel

1938Drama
Detective Story
7.0
Movie

Detective Story

1951Thriller
The Desperate Hours
7.0
Movie

The Desperate Hours

1955Thriller
Don't Shoot
7.0
Movie

Don't Shoot

1926Action
Martin of the Mounted
7.0
Movie

Martin of the Mounted

1926Action
The Storm
7.0
Movie

The Storm

1930Action
Thunder Riders
7.0
Movie

Thunder Riders

1928Action
Come and Get It
6.8
Movie

Come and Get It

1936Drama
Tom Brown of Culver
6.8
Movie

Tom Brown of Culver

1932Drama
The Memphis Belle
6.7
Movie

The Memphis Belle

1944Documentary
Friendly Persuasion
6.7
Movie

Friendly Persuasion

1956Drama
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
6.6
Movie

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

1923Romance
Carrie
6.5
Movie

Carrie

1952Drama
Counsellor at Law
6.5
Movie

Counsellor at Law

1933Drama
The Fighting Lady
6.5
Movie

The Fighting Lady

1944Action
The Gay Deception
6.3
Movie

The Gay Deception

1935Comedy
The Two Fister
6.3
Movie

The Two Fister

1927Action
The Cowboy and the Lady
6.3
Movie

The Cowboy and the Lady

1938Comedy
Thunderbolt
6.2
Movie

Thunderbolt

1947Action
The Stolen Ranch
6.1
Movie

The Stolen Ranch

1926Drama
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
6.0
Movie

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

1970Drama
The Love Trap
5.9
Movie

The Love Trap

1929Comedy
A House Divided
5.6
Movie

A House Divided

1931Drama
The Shakedown
5.6
Movie

The Shakedown

1929Drama
Glamour
4.3
Movie

Glamour

1934Drama
History Rediscovered: The Memphis Belle
0
Movie

History Rediscovered: The Memphis Belle

2011Documentary

Writing3 titles

Ridin' for Love
10.0
Movie

Ridin' for Love

1926Action
The Memphis Belle
6.7
Movie

The Memphis Belle

1944Documentary
Roman Holiday
0
Movie

Roman Holiday

2016Drama

Production13 titles

Roman Holiday
7.9
Movie

Roman Holiday

1953Romance
The Heiress
7.8
Movie

The Heiress

1949Drama
The Big Country
7.6
Movie

The Big Country

1958Drama
The Children's Hour
7.6
Movie

The Children's Hour

1961Drama
The Letter
7.3
Movie

The Letter

1940Thriller
Mrs. Miniver
7.1
Movie

Mrs. Miniver

1942Drama
Jezebel
7.0
Movie

Jezebel

1938Drama
The Desperate Hours
7.0
Movie

The Desperate Hours

1955Thriller
Detective Story
7.0
Movie

Detective Story

1951Thriller
Friendly Persuasion
6.7
Movie

Friendly Persuasion

1956Drama
Carrie
6.5
Movie

Carrie

1952Drama
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
6.0
Movie

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

1970Drama
The Love Trap
5.9
Movie

The Love Trap

1929Comedy

Camera1 title

The Memphis Belle
6.7
Movie

The Memphis Belle

1944Documentary