Stanley Donen

Stanley Donen
Donen in 2010
Born(1924-04-13)April 13, 1924
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedFebruary 21, 2019(2019-02-21) (aged 94)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • film producer
  • choreographer
  • dancer
  • stage director
Years active1940–2003
Known for
Spouses
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(m. 1948; div. 1951)​
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(m. 1952; div. 1959)​
Adelle O'Connor Beatty
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(m. 1960; div. 1971)​
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(m. 1972; div. 1985)​
Pamela Braden
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(m. 1990; div. 1994)​
PartnerElaine May (c. 1999)
Children3, including Joshua Donen

Stanley Donen (/ˈdɒnən/ DON-ən;[1] April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 1998, and the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. Four of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.

Donen began his career as a dancer in the chorus line on Broadway for director George Abbott. From 1943, he worked in Hollywood as a choreographer before collaborating with Gene Kelly where Donen worked as a contract director for MGM under producer Arthur Freed. Donen and Kelly directed the films On the Town (1949), Singin' in the Rain, and It's Always Fair Weather (1955).[2][3] Donen's relationship with Kelly deteriorated during their final collaboration. His other films during this period include Royal Wedding (1951), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), and Funny Face (1957).

He then broke his contract with MGM to become an independent film producer in 1957. Donen received acclaim for his later films including the romance films Indiscreet (1958), Charade (1963), and Two for the Road (1967). He also directed the spy thriller Arabesque (1966), the British comedy Bedazzled (1967), the musicals Damn Yankees (1958) and The Little Prince (1974), the dramedy Lucky Lady (1975), and the sex comedy Blame It on Rio (1984).

  1. ^ "Say How: D". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "GENE KELLY: ANATOMY OF A DANCER". PBS. June 8, 2006. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Stanley Donen [biography]. Retrieved July 4, 2022. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)