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 George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, better known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He once won the Academy Award for Best Director, and was nominated other four times for the same Award.In 1899, George Dewey Cukor was born on the Lower East Side of New York City. His parents were assistant district attorney Viktor Cukor and Hel��n Ilona Gross. His middle name "Dewey" honored Admiral George Dewey who was considered a war hero for his victory in the Battle of Manila Bay, in 1898.As a child, Cukor received dancing lessons, and soon fell in love with the theater, appearing in several amateur plays. In 1906, he performed in a recital with David O. Selznick (1902-1965), who would later become a close friend.As a teenager, Cukor often visited the New York Hippodrome, a well-known Manhattan theater. He often cut classes while attending high school, in order to attend afternoon matinees. He later took a job as a supernumerary with the Metropolitan Opera, and at times performed there in black-face.Cukor graduated from the DeWitt Clinton High School in 1917. His father wanted him to follow a legal career, and had his son enrolled City College of New York. Cukor lost interest in his studies and dropped out of college in 1918. He then took a job as an assistant stage manager and bit player for a touring production of the British musical "The Better 'Ole". The musical was an adaptation of the then-popular British comic strip "Old Bill" by Bruce Bairnsfather (1887-1959).In 1920, Cukor became the stage manager of the Knickerbocker Players, a theatrical troupe. In 1921, Cukor became the general manager of the Lyceum Players, a summer stock company. In 1925, Cukor was one of the co-founders the C.F. and Z. Production Company. With this theatrical company, Cukor started working as a theatrical director. He made his Broadway debut as a director with the play "Antonia" by Melchior Lengyel (1880-1974).The C.F. and Z. Production Company was eventually renamed the Cukor-Kondolf Stock Company, and started recruiting up-and-coming theatrical talents. Cukor's theatrical troupe included at various times Louis Calhern, Ilka Chase, Bette Davis, Douglass Montgomery, Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen, Elizabeth Patterson, and Phyllis Povah.Cukor attained great critical acclaim in 1926 for directing "The Great Gatsby", an adaptation of a then-popular novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940). He directed six more Broadway productions until 1929. At the time, Hollywood film studios were recruiting New York theater talent for sound films, and Cukor was hired by Paramount Pictures. He started as an apprentice director before the studio lent him to Universal Pictures. His first notable film work was serving as a dialogue director for "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930).After returning to Paramount Pictures, he worked as aco-director. His first solo directorial effort was "Tarnished Lady" (1931), and at that time he earned a weekly salary of $1500. Cukor co-directed the film "One Hour with You" (1932) with Ernst Lubitsch, but Lubitsch demanded sole directorial credit. Cukor filed a legal suit but eventually had to settle for a credit as the film's assistant director. He left Paramount in protest, and took a new job with RKO Studios.During the 1930s, Cukor was entrusted with directing films for RKO's leading actresses. He worked often with Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003), although not always with box-office success. He did direct such box office hits as "Little Women" (1933) and "Holiday" (1938), but also notable flops such as "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935).In 1936, Cukor was assigned to work on the film adaptation of the blockbuster novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. He spent the next two years preoccupied with the film's pre-production, and with supervising screen tests for actresses seeking to play leading character Scarlett O'Hara. Cukor reportedly favored casting either Katharine Hepburn or Paulette Goddard for the role. Producer David O. Selznick refused to cast either one, since Hepburn was coming off a string of flops and was viewed as "box office poison," while Goddard was rumored to have had a scandalous affair with Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) and her reputation suffered for it.Cukor did not get to direct "Gone with the Wind", as Selznick decided to assign the directing duties to Victor Fleming (1889-1949). Cukor's involvement with the film was limited to coaching actresses Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) and Olivia de Havilland (1916-). Similarly, the very same year, Cukor also failed to receive a directing credit for "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), though he was responsible for several casting and costuming decisions for this iconic classic.In this same period, Cukor did direct an all-female cast in "The Women" (1939), as well as Greta Garbo's final motion picture performance in "Two-Faced Woman" (1941). Then his film career was interrupted by World War II, as he joined the Signal Corps in 1942. Given his experience as a film director, Cukor was soon assigned to producing training and instructional films for army personnel. He wanted to gain an officer's commission, but was denied promotion above the rank of private. Cukor suspected that rumors of his homosexuality were the reason he never received the promotion.During the 1940s, Cukor had a number of box-office hits, such "A Woman's Face" (1941) and "Gaslight" (1944). He forged a working alliance with screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, and the trio collaborated on seven films between 1947-1954.Until the early 1950s, most of his Cukor's films were in black-and-white, and his first film in Technicolor was "A Star Is Born" (1954), with Judy Garland as the leading actress. Casting the male lead for the film proved difficult, as several major stars were either not interested in the role or were considered unsuitable by the studio. Cukor had to settle for James Mason as the male lead, but the film was highly successful and received 6 Academy Award nominations. But Cukor was not nominated for directing.He had a handful of critical successes over the following years, such as Les Girls (1957) and "Wild Is the Wind" (1957), and also helmed the unfinished "Something's Got to Give" (1962), which had a troubled production and went at least $2 million over budget before it was terminated.Cukor had a comeback with the critically and commercially successful "My Fair Lady," one of the highlights of his career., for which he won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, along with the Directors Guild of America Award. However, his career very quickly slowed down, and the aging Cukor was infrequently involved with new projects.Cukor's most notable film in the 1970s was the fantasy The Blue Bird (1976) , which was the first joint Soviet-American production. It was a box-office flop, though it received a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and was groundbreaking for its time. Cukor's swan song was "Rich and Famous" (1981), depicting the relationship of two women over a period of several decades., played by co-stars Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen, Cukor's final pair of leading ladies.He retired as a director at the age of 82, and died a year later of a heart attack in 1983. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated to be $2,377,720. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA. Cukor was buried next to his long-time platonic friend Frances Howard (1903-1976), the wife of legendary studio mogul Samuel Goldwyn.
Bio:
George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, better known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He once won the Academy Award for Best Director, and was nominated other four times for the same Award.In 1899, George Dewey Cukor was born on the Lower East Side of New York City. His parents were assistant district attorney Viktor Cukor and Hel��n Ilona Gross. His middle name "Dewey" honored Admiral George Dewey who was considered a war hero for his victory in the Battle of Manila Bay, in 1898.As a child, Cukor received dancing lessons, and soon fell in love with the theater, appearing in several amateur plays. In 1906, he performed in a recital with David O. Selznick (1902-1965), who would later become a close friend.As a teenager, Cukor often visited the New York Hippodrome, a well-known Manhattan theater. He often cut classes while attending high school, in order to attend afternoon matinees. He later took a job as a supernumerary with the Metropolitan Opera, and at times performed there in black-face.Cukor graduated from the DeWitt Clinton High School in 1917. His father wanted him to follow a legal career, and had his son enrolled City College of New York. Cukor lost interest in his studies and dropped out of college in 1918. He then took a job as an assistant stage manager and bit player for a touring production of the British musical "The Better 'Ole". The musical was an adaptation of the then-popular British comic strip "Old Bill" by Bruce Bairnsfather (1887-1959).In 1920, Cukor became the stage manager of the Knickerbocker Players, a theatrical troupe. In 1921, Cukor became the general manager of the Lyceum Players, a summer stock company. In 1925, Cukor was one of the co-founders the C.F. and Z. Production Company. With this theatrical company, Cukor started working as a theatrical director. He made his Broadway debut as a director with the play "Antonia" by Melchior Lengyel (1880-1974).The C.F. and Z. Production Company was eventually renamed the Cukor-Kondolf Stock Company, and started recruiting up-and-coming theatrical talents. Cukor's theatrical troupe included at various times Louis Calhern, Ilka Chase, Bette Davis, Douglass Montgomery, Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen, Elizabeth Patterson, and Phyllis Povah.Cukor attained great critical acclaim in 1926 for directing "The Great Gatsby", an adaptation of a then-popular novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940). He directed six more Broadway productions until 1929. At the time, Hollywood film studios were recruiting New York theater talent for sound films, and Cukor was hired by Paramount Pictures. He started as an apprentice director before the studio lent him to Universal Pictures. His first notable film work was serving as a dialogue director for "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930).After returning to Paramount Pictures, he worked as aco-director. His first solo directorial effort was "Tarnished Lady" (1931), and at that time he earned a weekly salary of $1500. Cukor co-directed the film "One Hour with You" (1932) with Ernst Lubitsch, but Lubitsch demanded sole directorial credit. Cukor filed a legal suit but eventually had to settle for a credit as the film's assistant director. He left Paramount in protest, and took a new job with RKO Studios.During the 1930s, Cukor was entrusted with directing films for RKO's leading actresses. He worked often with Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003), although not always with box-office success. He did direct such box office hits as "Little Women" (1933) and "Holiday" (1938), but also notable flops such as "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935).In 1936, Cukor was assigned to work on the film adaptation of the blockbuster novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. He spent the next two years preoccupied with the film's pre-production, and with supervising screen tests for actresses seeking to play leading character Scarlett O'Hara. Cukor reportedly favored casting either Katharine Hepburn or Paulette Goddard for the role. Producer David O. Selznick refused to cast either one, since Hepburn was coming off a string of flops and was viewed as "box office poison," while Goddard was rumored to have had a scandalous affair with Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) and her reputation suffered for it.Cukor did not get to direct "Gone with the Wind", as Selznick decided to assign the directing duties to Victor Fleming (1889-1949). Cukor's involvement with the film was limited to coaching actresses Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) and Olivia de Havilland (1916-). Similarly, the very same year, Cukor also failed to receive a directing credit for "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), though he was responsible for several casting and costuming decisions for this iconic classic.In this same period, Cukor did direct an all-female cast in "The Women" (1939), as well as Greta Garbo's final motion picture performance in "Two-Faced Woman" (1941). Then his film career was interrupted by World War II, as he joined the Signal Corps in 1942. Given his experience as a film director, Cukor was soon assigned to producing training and instructional films for army personnel. He wanted to gain an officer's commission, but was denied promotion above the rank of private. Cukor suspected that rumors of his homosexuality were the reason he never received the promotion.During the 1940s, Cukor had a number of box-office hits, such "A Woman's Face" (1941) and "Gaslight" (1944). He forged a working alliance with screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, and the trio collaborated on seven films between 1947-1954.Until the early 1950s, most of his Cukor's films were in black-and-white, and his first film in Technicolor was "A Star Is Born" (1954), with Judy Garland as the leading actress. Casting the male lead for the film proved difficult, as several major stars were either not interested in the role or were considered unsuitable by the studio. Cukor had to settle for James Mason as the male lead, but the film was highly successful and received 6 Academy Award nominations. But Cukor was not nominated for directing.He had a handful of critical successes over the following years, such as Les Girls (1957) and "Wild Is the Wind" (1957), and also helmed the unfinished "Something's Got to Give" (1962), which had a troubled production and went at least $2 million over budget before it was terminated.Cukor had a comeback with the critically and commercially successful "My Fair Lady," one of the highlights of his career., for which he won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, along with the Directors Guild of America Award. However, his career very quickly slowed down, and the aging Cukor was infrequently involved with new projects.Cukor's most notable film in the 1970s was the fantasy The Blue Bird (1976) , which was the first joint Soviet-American production. It was a box-office flop, though it received a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and was groundbreaking for its time. Cukor's swan song was "Rich and Famous" (1981), depicting the relationship of two women over a period of several decades., played by co-stars Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen, Cukor's final pair of leading ladies.He retired as a director at the age of 82, and died a year later of a heart attack in 1983. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated to be $2,377,720. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA. Cukor was buried next to his long-time platonic friend Frances Howard (1903-1976), the wife of legendary studio mogul Samuel Goldwyn.
Tivia:
He was largely responsible for the ultimate look of the characters in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Richard Thorpe, the film's first director, had decided on how the makeup should look, and had made some rather catastrophic decisions (see Buddy Ebsen). He was eventually fired, and during a stopover at the film's set, Cukor gave some directorial suggestions (such as removing Judy Garland's blonde wig), which ultimately were used in the finished film.Did a few days work as intermediate director on The Wizard of Oz (1939) (although he never actually filmed any scenes) after original director Richard Thorpe had been dismissed. Victor Fleming was eventually hired to direct the picture. Coincidentally, Cukor's next film, Gone with the Wind (1939), also went on to be directed by Fleming after Cukor was fired due to disagreements with the film's producer, David O. Selznick.He was famous for the parties he threw later in life for large groups of directors, many being attended by such legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Luis Bu?uel and George Stevens.Louis Gossett Jr., on working with Cukor on Travels with My Aunt (1972): "The consummate director and a filmmaking genius. He kept shooting until he got it right. He knew when to say something to you, and he knew when to leave you alone. He was always one step ahead of everyone.".He was replaced as director of Gone with the Wind (1939) because of constant disagreements with producer David O. Selznick over the screenplay and direction (not, as rumor had it, because Clark Gable considered him better suited as a so-called woman's director).Was fired as director of Gone with the Wind (1939) only a month before The Women (1939) was scheduled to begin filming. Producer Hunt Stromberg enlisted Cukor's services immediately upon his sudden availability.For many decades, he owned a luxurious art deco mansion in the Hollywood hills above Sunset Boulevard, surrounded by Romanesque gardens, which served as the setting for many lavish parties.Interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in the Garden of Honor, unmarked. (Private area. Not accessible to the general public). Frances Goldwyn [Frances Howard], wife of mogul Samuel Goldwyn, is buried next to Cukor at her request because of her long, but unrequited, love for him.Enjoyed a successful working partnership with Katharine Hepburn, directing her in ten films over a period of 47 years: A Bill of Divorcement (1932), Little Women (1933), Sylvia Scarlett (1935), Holiday (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Keeper of the Flame (1942), Adam's Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Love Among the Ruins (1975) and The Corn Is Green (1979).Godfather of Mia Farrow.Directed 20 different actors in Academy Award-nominated performances: Basil Rathbone, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, James Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Ruth Hussey, Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Angela Lansbury, Ronald Colman, Deborah Kerr, Judy Holliday, James Mason, Judy Garland, Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper and Maggie Smith. Stewart, Bergman, Colman, Holliday and Harrison won Academy Awards for their performances in Cukor's movies.Was voted the 18th Greatest Director of all time by "Entertainment Weekly".Despite his reputation as a "women's director", three actors (James Stewart, Ronald Colman and Rex Harrison) won the Best Actor Academy Award for films he was the credited director on while only two actresses (Ingrid Bergman and Judy Holliday) won Best Actress.His father worked in the offices of the Manhattan District Attorney.Started his career in Hollywood as dialogue director on All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Prior to his arrival at MGM, he had brief spells at Paramount (1930-31) and RKO (1932-33). Subsequently under contract at MGM, 1933-37, 1939-44, 1949-50 and 1952-53.He was famous as a sophisticated, witty personality but was also in the habit (mainly to be naughty) of blurting out unexpected profanities.The famous Sargent portrait of Ethel Barrymore hung in Cukor's home.Attempted unsuccessfully to launch a huge movie project starring Maggie Smith as complex and troubled author Virginia Woolf.He did not make a musical, or fully direct a film in color, until A Star Is Born (1954).Graduated from DeWitt-Clinton High School, New York City. Subsequently served an 11-year apprenticeship in the theatre, rising from assistant stage manager for a touring company to Broadway stage manager and director.Was the original choice to direct The Seven Year Itch (1955); however, he turned down the project.Directed 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards: One Hour with You (1932) (uncredited), Little Women (1933), David Copperfield (1935), Romeo and Juliet (1936), The Wizard of Oz (1939) (uncredited), Gone with the Wind (1939) (uncredited), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), Born Yesterday (1950) and My Fair Lady (1964). Gone with the Wind (1939) and My Fair Lady won Best Picture, but George Cukor only received credit for the latter.He has directed nine films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Wizard of Oz (1939), (uncredited), The Women (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939) (uncredited), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), Adam's Rib (1949), Born Yesterday (1950), A Star Is Born (1954) and My Fair Lady (1964).In 1968, he accepted the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role on behalf of Katharine Hepburn, who was not present at the ceremony.Although he won an Academy Award for My Fair Lady (1964) and the film proved to be his biggest-ever box-office hit, he did not make another film for nearly five years after it. During this period he was repeatedly frustrated in his efforts to launch new movie projects. These included: "Bloomer Girl", a lavish version of the Broadway musical, to star Shirley MacLaine; "The Nine Tiger Man", a version of the novel by his friend Lesley Blanche; "The Right Honourable Gentleman", a film about Sir Charles Dilke, a politician whose career was ruined by a sex scandal, to star Rex Harrison; and a melodrama about Victorian spiritualists. None of these ideas ever became films.With the United States Army during World War II, turning out training and propaganda films in New York.According to DeWitt Bodeen in a November 1981 issue of "Films in Review", he only heard Cukor complain about the imperfections of actresses three times: Spring Byington in Little Women (1933), Anouk Aim��e in Justine (1969), and Gina Lollobrigida in an aborted version of "Lady L".Described by British actor Leslie Phillips as "an absolute shit" in an interview with a local English magazine (in promotion for the film Venus (2006)). He said that Cukor "wouldn't listen to anybody", and that Gene Kelly had come up to him and said, "Look, if you suggest anything he will take your balls off. So you tell me what your ideas are and I'll sell it to him.".Worked as Broadway director before going into the film business with Grumpy (1930).Was the original choice to direct Lady L (1965).He was rather heavy set when he first began directing. In fact, he looked very much like producer David O. Selznick physically. In later years, he lost weight and much of his hair.He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6738 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.He replaced John Sturges as director of Wild Is the Wind (1957), Charles Vidor as director of Song Without End (1960) (although Vidor, who died three weeks into filming, got sole credit), Joseph Strick as director of Justine (1969) and Robert Mulligan as director of Rich and Famous (1981). He also directed only one day's shooting of Lust for Life (1956) in the absence of Vincente Minnelli.Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 199-201. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1998).Interviewed in Peter Bogdanovich's "Who the Devil Made It: Conversations With Robert Aldrich, George Cukor, Allan Dwan, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Chuck Jones, Fritz Lang, Joseph H. Lewis, Sidney Lumet, Leo McCarey, Otto Preminger, Don Siegel, Josef von Sternberg, Frank Tashlin, Edgar G. Ulmer, Raoul Walsh." New York: Alfred A. Knopf (1997).In 2013, the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City honored him with a weeks-long comprehensive retrospective of his work, entitled "The Discreet Charm of George Cukor".Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 163-172. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company (1987).His last name means 'sugar' in Hungarian.Amongst all the top directors Billy Wilder had the most Oscar nominations with 8 Fred Zinneman 7, Frank Capra 6 David Lean 6, Clarence Brown 5, John Ford 5, King Vidor 5 George Stevens 5 Alfred Hitchcock 5 Elia Kazan 5 George Cukor 5. |
| Name: |
George Cukor |
Type: |
Director,Additional Crew,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Director,Additional Crew,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director |
| Products for sale: |
Director,Additional Crew,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 04:00:39 |
| Height: |
5' 8' (1.73 m) |
| Biography: |
George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, better known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He once won the Academy Award for Best Director, and was nominated other four times for the same Award.In 1899, Geor |
| Trivia: |
He was largely responsible for the ultimate look of the characters in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Richard Thorpe, the film's first director, had decided on how the makeup should look, and had made some rather catastrophic decisions (see Buddy Ebsen). He was eventually fired, and during a stopover at the film's set, Cukor gave some directorial suggestions (such as removing Judy Garland's blonde wig), which ultimately were used in the finished film.Did a few days work as intermediate director on The Wizard of Oz (1939) (although he never actually filmed any scenes) after original director Richard Thorpe had been dismissed. Victor Fleming was eventually hired to direct the picture. Coincidentally, Cukor's next film, Gone with the Wind (1939), also went on to be directed by Fleming after Cukor was fired due to disagreements with the film's producer, David O. Selznick.He was famous for the parties he threw later in life for large groups of directors, many being attended by such legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Luis Bu?uel and George Stevens.Louis Gossett Jr., on working with Cukor on Travels with My Aunt (1972): "The consummate director and a filmmaking genius. He kept shooting until he got it right. He knew when to say something to you, and he knew when to leave you alone. He was always one step ahead of everyone.".He was replaced as director of Gone with the Wind (1939) because of constant disagreements with producer David O. Selznick over the screenplay and direction (not, as rumor had it, because Clark Gable considered him better suited as a so-called woman's director).Was fired as director of Gone with the Wind (1939) only a month before The Women (1939) was scheduled to begin filming. Producer Hunt Stromberg enlisted Cukor's services immediately upon his sudden availability.For many decades, he owned a luxurious art deco mansion in the Hollywood hills above Sunset Boulevard, surrounded by Romanesque gardens, which served as the setting for many lavish parties.Interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in the Garden of Honor, unmarked. (Private area. Not accessible to the general public). Frances Goldwyn [Frances Howard], wife of mogul Samuel Goldwyn, is buried next to Cukor at her request because of her long, but unrequited, love for him.Enjoyed a successful working partnership with Katharine Hepburn, directing her in ten films over a period of 47 years: A Bill of Divorcement (1932), Little Women (1933), Sylvia Scarlett (1935), Holiday (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Keeper of the Flame (1942), Adam's Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Love Among the Ruins (1975) and The Corn Is Green (1979).Godfather of Mia Farrow.Directed 20 different actors in Academy Award-nominated performances: Basil Rathbone, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, James Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Ruth Hussey, Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Angela Lansbury, Ronald Colman, Deborah Kerr, Judy Holliday, James Mason, Judy Garland, Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper and Maggie Smith. Stewart, Bergman, Colman, Holliday and Harrison won Academy Awards for their performances in Cukor's movies.Was voted the 18th Greatest Director of all time by "Entertainment Weekly".Despite his reputation as a "women's director", three actors (James Stewart, Ronald Colman and Rex Harrison) won the Best Actor Academy Award for films he was the credited director on while only two actresses (Ingrid Bergman and Judy Holliday) won Best Actress.His father worked in the offices of the Manhattan District Attorney.Started his career in Hollywood as dialogue director on All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Prior to his arrival at MGM, he had brief spells at Paramount (1930-31) and RKO (1932-33). Subsequently under contract at MGM, 1933-37, 1939-44, 1949-50 and 1952-53.He was famous as a sophisticated, witty personality but was also in the habit (mainly to be naughty) of blurting out unexpected profanities.The famous Sargent portrait of Ethel Barrymore hung in Cukor's home.Attempted unsuccessfully to launch a huge movie project starring Maggie Smith as complex and troubled author Virginia Woolf.He did not make a musical, or fully direct a film in color, until A Star Is Born (1954).Graduated from DeWitt-Clinton High School, New York City. Subsequently served an 11-year apprenticeship in the theatre, rising from assistant stage manager for a touring company to Broadway stage manager and director.Was the original choice to direct The Seven Year Itch (1955); however, he turned down the project.Directed 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards: One Hour with You (1932) (uncredited), Little Women (1933), David Copperfield (1935), Romeo and Juliet (1936), The Wizard of Oz (1939) (uncredited), Gone with the Wind (1939) (uncredited), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), Born Yesterday (1950) and My Fair Lady (1964). Gone with the Wind (1939) and My Fair Lady won Best Picture, but George Cukor only received credit for the latter.He has directed nine films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Wizard of Oz (1939), (uncredited), The Women (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939) (uncredited), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), Adam's Rib (1949), Born Yesterday (1950), A Star Is Born (1954) and My Fair Lady (1964).In 1968, he accepted the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role on behalf of Katharine Hepburn, who was not present at the ceremony.Although he won an Academy Award for My Fair Lady (1964) and the film proved to be his biggest-ever box-office hit, he did not make another film for nearly five years after it. During this period he was repeatedly frustrated in his efforts to launch new movie projects. These included: "Bloomer Girl", a lavish version of the Broadway musical, to star Shirley MacLaine; "The Nine Tiger Man", a version of the novel by his friend Lesley Blanche; "The Right Honourable Gentleman", a film about Sir Charles Dilke, a politician whose career was ruined by a sex scandal, to star Rex Harrison; and a melodrama about Victorian spiritualists. None of these ideas ever became films.With the United States Army during World War II, turning out training and propaganda films in New York.According to DeWitt Bodeen in a November 1981 issue of "Films in Review", he only heard Cukor complain about the imperfections of actresses three times: Spring Byington in Little Women (1933), Anouk Aim��e in Justine (1969), and Gina Lollobrigida in an aborted version of "Lady L".Described by British actor Leslie Phillips as "an absolute shit" in an interview with a local English magazine (in promotion for the film Venus (2006)). He said that Cukor "wouldn't listen to anybody", and that Gene Kelly had come up to him and said, "Look, if you suggest anything he will take your balls off. So you tell me what your ideas are and I'll sell it to him.".Worked as Broadway director before going into the film business with Grumpy (1930).Was the original choice to direct Lady L (1965).He was rather heavy set when he first began directing. In fact, he looked very much like producer David O. Selznick physically. In later years, he lost weight and much of his hair.He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6738 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.He replaced John Sturges as director of Wild Is the Wind (1957), Charles Vidor as director of Song Without End (1960) (although Vidor, who died three weeks into filming, got sole credit), Joseph Strick as director of Justine (1969) and Robert Mulligan as director of Rich and Famous (1981). He also directed only one day's shooting of Lust for Life (1956) in the absence of Vincente Minnelli.Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 199-201. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1998).Interviewed in Peter Bogdanovich's "Who the Devil Made It: Conversations With Robert Aldrich, George Cukor, Allan Dwan, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Chuck Jones, Fritz Lang, Joseph H. Lewis, Sidney Lumet, Leo McCarey, Otto Preminger, Don Siegel, Josef von Sternberg, Frank Tashlin, Edgar G. Ulmer, Raoul Walsh." New York: Alfred A. Knopf (1997).In 2013, the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City honored him with a weeks-long comprehensive retrospective of his work, entitled "The Discreet Charm of George Cukor".Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 163-172. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company (1987).His last name means 'sugar' in Hungarian.Amongst all the top directors Billy Wilder had the most Oscar nominations with 8 Fred Zinneman 7, Frank Capra 6 David Lean 6, Clarence Brown 5, John Ford 5, King Vidor 5 George Stevens 5 Alfred Hitchcock 5 Elia Kazan 5 George Cukor 5. |
| Trademarks: |
Directed many adaptations of books and plays and was known to be particularly skilled at interpreting stage plays for the screen.
His many film collaborations with Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn
He was often regarded as a "women's director" because his films frequently are centered around strong female characters. |
| Quotes: |
. . . you direct a couple of successful pictures with women stars, so you become a "woman's director" . . . Direct a sentimental little picture and all you get is sob stuff. I know I've been in and out of those little compartments. Heaven knows everyone has limitations. But why make them narrower than they are?
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Give me a good script, and I'll be 100 times better as a director.
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You would like to think you're pretty much an original, everything about yourself distinctive and individual. But it is surprising to realize to what extent you echo your family, and how, from childhood, you have been shaped and molded . . .
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[on the rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis] It seemed to me that each one coveted what the other possessed. Joan envied Bette's incredible talent, and Bette envied Joan's seductive glamor.
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[favorite piece of advice he would give to hyperactive actresses] Don't just do something, stand there! |
| Salaries: |
My Fair Lady (1964) - $300,000
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Camille (1937) - $4,000 per week
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David Copperfield (1935) - $4,000 /week |
| Job title: |
Director,Additional Crew,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director |
| Others works: |
(1919 - 1929) Active on Broadway in the following productions:
(1919) Stage Play: A Regular Feller. Comedy. Written by Mark Swan. Cort Theatre: 15 Sep 1919- Oct 1919 (closing date unknown/31 performances). Cast: Charles Abbott, James Bradbury, Albert Bus |
| Parents: |
Victor Cukor
Helen Ilona Cukor |
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