Anatole litvak biography channel

  • Ukrainian-born film director who worked in a variety of genres and whose notable credits included film noirs, war documentaries, and crime dramas.
  • The distinguished film director Anatole Litvak was born in the Ukrainian city of Kiev, the son of Jewish parents.
  • Read all about Anatole Litvak with TV Guide's exclusive biography including their list of awards, celeb facts and more at TV Guide.

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    Anatole Litvak Biography

    Date of Birth:
    May 10, 1902Birth Place:
    Kiev, Russian Empire

    Biography

    Began his film career at Leningrad's Nordkino studios in 1923, moved to Germany in 1925 and began directing for UFA in 1930. Following the international success of the French production, "Mayerling" (1936), Litvak moved to the US where he signed with Warner Bros. in 1937. He earned a reputation as a capable handler of urban dramas ("City for Conquest" 1940, "Blues in the Night" 1941, "Sorry, Wrong Number" 1948) and received critical acclaim for "The Snake Pit" (1948), a harrowing, realistic account of life in a mental institution. Litvak's post-1950s work--all European--consisted primarily of glossy, somewhat turgid star vehicles. He was married to actress Miriam Hopkins (from 1937 to 1939) and costume designer Sophie Steur, who worked on some of his films.
  • anatole litvak biography channel

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    During his 40-year career, director-producer Anatole Litvak (1902-1974) made films of all genres in Russia, Germany, England, France and the United States. His rootless background was cited by critics lamenting his lack of consistent style, but it also added to his mystique as a chameleon-like realisateur.

    Litvak directed Hollywood greats like Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield, Kirk Douglas, Ingrid Bergman, Vivien Leigh, Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, Olivia de Havilland, Yul Brynner, Burt Lancaster, Barbara Stanwick and many others. He was twice nominated for Best Director by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences for The Snake Pit (1948) and for Decision Before Dawn (1951). These films--along with Mayerling (1936), Sorry, Wrong Number (1946) and Anastasia (1956)--are considered classics, but his pictures don't offer many clues about Litvak the man. Apart from passing references to his wartime service as combat documentarian, he never discussed his life in print, allowing only brief interviews relating exclusively to his work.

    This biography fills that void, providing the first detailed portrait of an artist described by film historian Richard Schickel as "an adept, adaptable and prolific man; the kind of director that Hollywood likes best."

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    Mayerling

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    Time Out Album Guide says it’s well-done “rubbish”, remarkable of Litvak that it’s “his double really admirable picture.”

    “A rather chilly subject” (Halliwell’s Layer Guide).

    Tovarich

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