The Austrian- American director is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of the Hollywood Golden Age of cinema.
He was the winner of six Oscars, considered a master of American comedy.
His school inspired all the generations of directors, actors, and filmmakers that came after.
Billy Wilder has directed films such as The Seven Year Itch, in which the famous scene with Marilyn Monroe in the iconic white dress.
Some like it Hot, and especially Sunset Boulevard, were the films that established him as one of the greatest directors of Hollywood, of all times.
Billy Wilder arrived in Hollywood in 1933 and his first significant success in America was in 1939 with Ninotchka (starring Greta Garbo). (source: Wikipedia)
Wilder's first significant success was Ninotchka in 1939, a collaboration with German immigrant Ernst Lubitsch.
This romantic comedy starred Greta Garbo (generally known as a tragic heroine melodramas) and was popularly and critically acclaimed.
The byline, "Garbo Laughs!", also took Garbo's career in a new direction. The film also marked Wilder's first Academy Award nomination. (Wikipedia)
Wilder's third film as director, Double Indemnity (1944) was a major hit.
It's one of the best mystery thrillers that you can see, from Hollywood's classic era.
It was nominated for several Academy Awards, and it has breath-taking moments, unforgettable suspense adventures all along.
A film noir, nominated for Best Director and Screenplay, it was co-written with mystery novelist Raymond Chandler.
Double Indemnity not only set conventions for the noir genre but it is also credited by some as the first true film noir, combining the stylistic elements of Citizen Kane with the narrative elements of The Maltese Falcon (1941). (Wikipedia)
In 1950, Wilder co-wrote and directed the dark and cynical Sunset Boulevard, which paired rising star William Holden with Gloria Swanson.
Swanson played Norma Desmond, a reclusive silent film star who, with delusions of her greatness from a bygone era, dreams of a comeback.
Holden portrays an aspiring screenwriter who cannot make ends meet and becomes a kept man to her.
The film was highly acclaimed by critics and box office and is considered today one of the greatest Hollywood productions ever.
From the mid-1950s on, Wilder made mostly comedies.
Among the classics, Wilder created in this period are the Marilyn Monroe films The Seven Year Itch (1955), and Some Like It Hot (1959), and satires such as The Apartment (1960).
A box office success, Some Like It Hot was lightly regarded during its original release.
But its critical reputation grew prodigiously; in 2000, the American Film Institute selected it as the best American comedy ever made. (Wikipedia)
The Seven Year Itch remained famous in cinema’s history for the scene of the white dress lifting from the breeze coming from the metro, uncovering Marilyn’s legs.
But there are many other interesting, significant elements in the movie, like for instance when Marilyn describes the traits of an interesting man.
And that, dear Ladies and Gentlemen, is valuable today too, so take notes:
Your imagination!
You think every girl’s a dope.
You think a girl goes to a party and there’s some guy in a fancy striped vest strutting around giving you that I’m-so-handsome-you-can’t-resist-me look.
From this she’s supposed to fall flat on her face. Well, she doesn’t fall on her face.
But there’s another guy in the room, over in the corner.
Maybe he’s nervous and shy and perspiring a little.
First, you look past him.
But then you sense that he’s gentle and kind and worried. That he’ll be tender with you, nice and sweet.
That’s what’s really exciting.
(source: wikiquote.org)
Let's not forget that it was Billy Wilder who directed Audrey Hepburn in the famous and amazing film, Sabrina.
The 1954 American romantic comedy-drama stars Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, and William Holden, and is probably one of the best films starring the immortal Audrey.
The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. (Wikipedia)
Billy Wilder directed in total fourteen different actors in Oscar-nominated performances.
He was truly one of the men who created American legends.
The Apartment, another one of his memorable films, gave him the distinction of being the first person to win Academy Awards as producer, director, and screenwriter. (source: Wikipedia)
In 1993, Billy Wilder was awarded the National Medal of Arts. (source: Wikipedia)
