Fred Zinnemann

FRED ZINNEMANN d1997. Austrian-born American film director. He won four Academy Awards for directing films in various genres, including thrillers / westerns / film-noir and play adaptations. He made 25 feature films during his 50-year career. He was among the first directors to insist on using authentic locations and for mixing stars with civilians to give his films more realism. Within the film industry, he was considered a maverick for taking risks and thereby creating unique films, with many of his stories being dramas about lone and principled individuals tested by tragic events. According to one historian, Zinnemann's style demonstrated his sense of "psychological realism and his apparent determination to make worthwhile pictures that are nevertheless highly entertaining." His most notable films include ; The Men (1950) / High Noon (1952) / From Here to Eternity (1953) / Oklahoma (1955) / A Man For All Seasons (1966) and The Day of The Jackal (1973). His films have received 65 Oscar nominations, winning 24. Zinnemann directed and introduced a number of stars in their US film debuts, including ; Marlon Brando / Rod Steiger / Montgomery Clift and Meryl Streep. He died of a heart attack in London aged 89 on March 14th 1997.