Directing

William Wyler

Born 1902-07-01

Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]

Department: Directing

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.

Known For

Prominent works featuring William Wyler

Movie

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Ben-Hur

1959

TMDB4.0

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Roman Holiday

1953

TMDB4.0

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The Best Years of Our Lives

1946

TMDB3.9

Movie

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How to Steal a Million

1966

TMDB3.8

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Great Performances

1971

TMDB3.0

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Funny Girl

1968

TMDB3.6

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The Big Country

1958

TMDB3.8

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The Children's Hour

1961

TMDB3.9

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Wuthering Heights

1939

TMDB3.6

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Mrs. Miniver

1942

TMDB3.5

Filmography & Credits

Complete career catalog (103 titles)

Title	Character / Role	Type	Year
William Wyler: Forty Takes Willy	Himself (Archival)	Movie	2025
Hollywood's Second World War	Self (archive footage)	Movie	2019
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic	Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)	Movie	2019
The Cold Blue	Himself (archive footage)	Movie	2018
Five Came Back	Self (archive footage)	Movie	2017
Five Came Back	Self (archive footage)	TV Series	2017
Roman Holiday	Writer	Movie	2016
History Rediscovered: The Memphis Belle	Director	Movie	2011
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story	Self (archive footage)	Movie	2006
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema	Self (archive footage)	Movie	2005
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film	Self (archive footage) (uncredited)	Movie	2002
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies	Self	Movie	2001
Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'	Self (archive footage)	Movie	2000
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance	Self (archive footage)	Movie	2000
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic	Self - Director (archive footage)	Movie	1993
Directed by William Wyler	Self	Movie	1986
Laurence Olivier: A Life	Self	Movie	1982
The American Film Institute Salute to ...	Self	TV Series	1973
Great Performances	Self	TV Series	1971
The Liberation of L.B. Jones	Director	Movie	1970
The Liberation of L.B. Jones	Producer	Movie	1970
Funny Girl	Director	Movie	1968
How to Steal a Million	Director	Movie	1966
The Collector	Director	Movie	1965
The Children's Hour	Director	Movie	1961
The Children's Hour	Producer	Movie	1961
Ben-Hur	Director	Movie	1959
The Big Country	Director	Movie	1958
The Big Country	Producer	Movie	1958
Fun in the Big Country	Self	Movie	1958
Friendly Persuasion	Director	Movie	1956
Friendly Persuasion	Producer	Movie	1956
The Letter	Director	Movie	1956
The Letter	Producer	Movie	1956
Cinépanorama	Self	TV Series	1956
Stars of Cabaret	Self (archive footage)	Movie	1956
The Desperate Hours	Director	Movie	1955
The Desperate Hours	Producer	Movie	1955
Roman Holiday	Director	Movie	1953
Roman Holiday	Producer	Movie	1953
The Oscars	Self	TV Series	1953
Carrie	Director	Movie	1952
Carrie	Producer	Movie	1952
Detective Story	Director	Movie	1951
Detective Story	Producer	Movie	1951
The Screen Director	Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)	Movie	1951
The Heiress	Director	Movie	1949
The Heiress	Producer	Movie	1949
The Ed Sullivan Show	Self	TV Series	1948
Thunderbolt	Director	Movie	1947
The Best Years of Our Lives	Drug Store customer (uncredited)	Movie	1946
The Best Years of Our Lives	Director	Movie	1946
The Fighting Lady	Director	Movie	1944
The Memphis Belle	Director	Movie	1944
The Memphis Belle	Writer	Movie	1944
The Memphis Belle	Director of Photography	Movie	1944
Mrs. Miniver	Director	Movie	1942
Mrs. Miniver	Producer	Movie	1942
The Little Foxes	Director	Movie	1941
The Letter	Director	Movie	1940
The Letter	Producer	Movie	1940
The Westerner	Director	Movie	1940
Wuthering Heights	Director	Movie	1939
The Cowboy and the Lady	Co-Director	Movie	1938
Jezebel	Director	Movie	1938
Jezebel	Producer	Movie	1938
Dead End	Director	Movie	1937
Come and Get It	Director	Movie	1936
Dodsworth	Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (uncredited)	Movie	1936
Dodsworth	Director	Movie	1936
These Three	Director	Movie	1936
The Gay Deception	Director	Movie	1935
The Good Fairy	Director	Movie	1935
Glamour	Director	Movie	1934
Counsellor at Law	Director	Movie	1933
Her First Mate	Director	Movie	1933
Tom Brown of Culver	Director	Movie	1932
A House Divided	Director	Movie	1931
The Storm	Director	Movie	1930
Hell's Heroes	Director	Movie	1929
The Love Trap	Director	Movie	1929
The Love Trap	Producer	Movie	1929
The Shakedown	Director	Movie	1929
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?	Director	Movie	1928
Thunder Riders	Director	Movie	1928
Desert Dust	Director	Movie	1927
The Border Cavalier	Director	Movie	1927
The Horse Trader	Director	Movie	1927
The Ore Raiders	Director	Movie	1927
Hard Fists	Director	Movie	1927
Straight Shootin'	Director	Movie	1927
Blazing Days	Director	Movie	1927
The Two Fister	Director	Movie	1927
The Stolen Ranch	Director	Movie	1926
Lazy Lightning	Director	Movie	1926
Martin of the Mounted	Director	Movie	1926
Don't Shoot	Director	Movie	1926
The Fire Barrier	Director	Movie	1926
Ridin' for Love	Director	Movie	1926
Ridin' for Love	Story	Movie	1926
The Gunless Bad Man	Director	Movie	1926
The Crook Buster	Director	Movie	1925
The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Assistant Director	Movie	1923