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Alexander Mackendrick | |
|---|---|
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| Born | September 8, 1912 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 22, 1993 (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Hillhead High School |
| Alma mater | Glasgow School of Art |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1937–1969 (filmmaking) 1969–1993 (academic) |
| Spouse(s) | Eileen Ashcroft (1934–1943) Hilary Lloyd (1948–1993) |
| Relatives | Roger MacDougall (cousin)[1] |
Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born Scottish[2] film director and screenwriter. He directed nine feature films between 1949 and 1967, before retiring from filmmaking to become an influential professor at the California Institute of the Arts.[2]
Born to Scottish immigrant parents in Boston, he was raised in Glasgow from the age of 6. He began making television commercials before moving into post-production editing and directing films, most notably for Ealing Studios where his films include Whisky Galore! (1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951) - which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, The Maggie (1954), and The Ladykillers (1955).
In 1957, Mackendrick directed his first American film Sweet Smell of Success, which was a critical and commercial success. However, his directing career declined throughout the following decade, and he was fired or replaced from several projects, owing in part to his perfectionist approach to filmmaking.[3]
Mackendrick retired from directing in the late 1960's after completing A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) and Don't Make Waves (1967), becoming the founding Dean (and later a Professor) of the CalArts School of Film/Video.[4]
- ^ "Mackendrick, Alexander (1912–1993)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/52240. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b "Unsentimental Education - Alexander Mackendrick". www.dga.org. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ O’Brien, Geoffrey (September 1, 2005). "ALEXANDER MACKENDRICK". Artforum. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ "Alexander Mackendrick: Remembering a Pioneering Director and Founding Dean of CalArts School of Film/Video". 24700. February 11, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2024.