Arthur Hiller
Canadian-born director Arthur Hiller began in radio and, after a brief stint helming TV episodes in his homeland, moved to the USA where he quickly established himself directing both live and film series like "Playhouse 90" (CBS 1956-1960) "Gunsmoke" (CBS 1955-1975) and "Naked City" (ABC 1958-1963), for which he received a 1962 Emmy nomination. He made an auspicious feature debut at the helm of the teen flick "The Careless Years" (1957), starring Dean Stockwell, but did not return to the big screen until 1963 with "Miracle of the White Stallions" and "The Wheeler Dealers." Although he worked in a variety of genres, from the dramatic "The Man in the Glass Booth" (1974) to the romantic "Love Story" (1970), Hiller showed his greatest facility with light comedy, working well with writers like Neil Simon ("The Out-of-Towners" 1970, "Plaza Suite" 1971), Andrew Bergman ("The In-Laws" 1979), Israel Horowitz ("Author! Author!" 1982) and Leslie Dixon ("Outrageous Fortune" 1987). However, two of his most acclaimed movies, "The Americanization of Emily" (1964) and the bleak satire "The Hospital" (1971), both scripted by Paddy Chayefsky, were notably dark films. No Hiller film did better at the box office than "Love Story," which was disparaged by many critics as sentimental and cloying, much as Erich Segal's best-selling novel had been. Hiller's late career was hampered by box-office duds like the gay-themed romantic drama "Making Love" (1982) and the Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor comedy "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" (1989). In an unfortunate case of life imitating art, Hiller and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas clashed during the filming of their film industry satire "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn" (1997), leading the director to demand his name be taken off the final film, which was released to critical derision and commercial failure under the directorial pseudonym Alan Smithee. Hiller only directed one more film, the quickly forgotten comedy "National Lampoon's Pucked" (2006), starring rock icon Jon Bon Jovi. In addition to his work as a director, Hiller served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1993 to 1997. Arthur Hiller died of undisclosed natural causes in Los Angeles on August 17, 2016 at the age of 92.
Photos
Arthur Hiller
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
100% |
|
Lunch | Unknown (Character) | - | 2012 |
No Score Yet |
|
National Lampoon's Pucked | Director | - | 2006 |
No Score Yet |
|
Speakeasy | Mr. Prappas (Character) | - | 2002 |
No Score Yet |
|
Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel | Evangelist (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Merchants of Venus | Reverend Phillips (Character) | - | 1998 |
8% |
|
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn | Director | $43.9K | 1997 |
14% |
|
Carpool | Director | $3.3M | 1996 |
47% |
|
The Babe | Director | $17.0M | 1992 |
30% |
|
Married to It | Director | $1.8M | 1991 |
33% |
|
Taking Care of Business | Director | $20.0M | 1990 |
27% |
|
See No Evil, Hear No Evil | Director | $45.4M | 1989 |
58% |
|
Outrageous Fortune | Director | $52.8M | 1987 |
61% |
|
Teachers | Director | - | 1984 |
50% |
|
The Lonely Guy | Director | - | 1984 |
29% |
|
Romantic Comedy | Director | - | 1983 |
50% |
|
Author! Author! | Director | - | 1982 |
56% |
|
Making Love | Director | - | 1981 |
89% |
|
The In-Laws | Director | - | 1979 |
33% |
|
Nightwing | Director | - | 1979 |
67% |
|
W.C. Fields and Me | Director | - | 1976 |
76% |
|
Silver Streak | Director | - | 1976 |
80% |
|
The Man in the Glass Booth | Director | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder |
Director, Producer |
- | 1974 |
53% |
|
Man of La Mancha |
Director, Producer |
- | 1972 |
67% |
|
Plaza Suite | Director | - | 1971 |
100% |
|
The Hospital | Director | - | 1971 |
63% |
|
The Out-of-Towners | Director | - | 1970 |
63% |
|
Love Story | Director | - | 1970 |
No Score Yet |
|
Popi | Director | - | 1969 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Tiger Makes Out | Director | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet |
|
Tobruk | Director | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet |
|
Penelope | Director | - | 1966 |
No Score Yet |
|
Promise Her Anything | Director | - | 1966 |
93% |
|
The Americanization of Emily | Director | - | 1964 |
No Score Yet |
|
Miracle of the White Stallions | Director | - | 1963 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Wheeler Dealers | Director | - | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Careless Years | Director | - | 1957 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
100% | 91% | The Addams Family | Director | 1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ben Casey | Director | 1962 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Route 66 | Director | 1960-1962 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Detectives | Director | 1962 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bus Stop | Director | 1961 |
No Score Yet | 87% | Alfred Hitchcock Presents |
Unknown (Character), Director |
1958-1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rifleman | Director | 1960 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Thriller | Director | 1960 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Perry Mason | Director | 1958-1960 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Wagon Train | Director | 1959 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Telephone Time | Director | 1958 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Climax! | Director | 1957 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Zane Grey Theatre | Director | 1957 |