William Wyler
Known for: Directing
Born: July 1, 1902
Died: July 27, 1981
Place of birth: 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), 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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Filmography
78 movies · 6 TV shows, newest first
8.0
William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy
2025
8.0
Hollywood's Second World War
2019
7.0
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
2019
6.7
The Cold Blue
2018
7.9
Five Came Back
2017
7.2
Five Came Back
2017
NR
Roman Holiday
2016
NR
History Rediscovered: The Memphis Belle
2011
6.6
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
2006
6.5
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
20058.0
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
2002
8.5
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
2001
NR
Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'
2000
9.0
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance
2000
7.7
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
1993
NR
Directed by William Wyler
1986
10.0
Laurence Olivier: A Life
1982
6.3
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
6.1
Great Performances
1971
6.1
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
1970
7.2
Funny Girl
1968
7.5
How to Steal a Million
1966
7.4
The Collector
1965
7.7
The Children's Hour
1961
7.9
Ben-Hur
1959
7.6
The Big Country
1958
NR
Fun in the Big Country
1958
6.6
Friendly Persuasion
19561.0
The Letter
1956
8.7
Cinépanorama
1956
NR
Stars of Cabaret
1956
7.0
The Desperate Hours
1955
7.9
Roman Holiday
1953
7.0
The Oscars
1953
6.4
Carrie
1952
7.0
Detective Story
1951
7.0
The Screen Director
1951
7.8
The Heiress
1949
6.8
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
6.2
Thunderbolt
1947
7.7
The Best Years of Our Lives
1946
6.5
The Fighting Lady
1944
6.7
The Memphis Belle
1944
7.1
Mrs. Miniver
1942
7.5
The Little Foxes
1941
7.3
The Letter
1940
7.1
The Westerner
1940
7.2
Wuthering Heights
1939
6.3
The Cowboy and the Lady
1938
7.0
Jezebel
1938
7.0
Dead End
1937
6.8
Come and Get It
1936
7.1
Dodsworth
1936
7.1
These Three
1936
6.4
The Gay Deception
1935
7.1
The Good Fairy
1935
4.3
Glamour
1934
6.5
Counsellor at Law
1933
10.0
Her First Mate
1933
6.8
Tom Brown of Culver
1932
5.6
A House Divided
1931
7.0
The Storm
1930
7.1
Hell's Heroes
1929
5.9
The Love Trap
1929
5.6
The Shakedown
1929
8.0
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
1928
7.0
Thunder Riders
19288.0
Desert Dust
1927
9.0
The Border Cavalier
19278.0
The Horse Trader
19279.0
The Ore Raiders
1927
10.0
Hard Fists
1927
9.0
Straight Shootin'
1927
10.0
Blazing Days
1927
6.3
The Two Fister
1927
6.1
The Stolen Ranch
1926
10.0
Lazy Lightning
1926
7.0
Martin of the Mounted
1926
7.0
Don't Shoot
19267.0
The Fire Barrier
1926
10.0
Ridin' for Love
19268.0
The Gunless Bad Man
1926
10.0
The Crook Buster
1925
6.5
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1923