
Alfred Hitchcock
Biography
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in cinema history. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films, many of which are still widely watched and studied today. Known as the "Master of Suspense", Hitchcock became as well known as any of his actors thanks to his many interviews, cameo appearances in most of his films, and hosting and producing the television anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–65). His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins.
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However, despite five nominations, he never won the Best Director award.
Hitchcock initially trained as a technical clerk and copywriter before entering the film industry in 1919 as a title card designer. The British–German silent film The Pleasure Garden (1925) was his directorial debut. His first successful film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927), helped to shape the thriller genre, and Blackmail (1929) was the first British "talkie". His thrillers The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938) are ranked among the greatest British films of the 20th century. By 1939, he had international recognition and producer David O. Selznick persuaded him to move to Hollywood. A string of successful films followed, including Rebecca(1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and Notorious (1946). Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Hitchcock nominated as Best Director. He also received Oscar nominations for Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945), Rear Window (1954) and Psycho (1960).
Hitchcock's other notable films include Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), Dial M for Murder (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Trouble with Harry (1955), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964) and Frenzy (1972), all of which were also financially successful and are highly regarded by film historians. Hitchcock made several films with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, including four with Cary Grant, four with James Stewart, three with Ingrid Bergman and three consecutively with Grace Kelly. Hitchcock became an American citizen in 1955.
In 2012, Hitchcock's psychological thriller Vertigo, starring Stewart, displaced Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941) as the British Film Institute's greatest film ever made based on its worldwide poll of hundreds of film critics. As of 2021, nine of his films had been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, including his favourite, Shadow of a Doubt (1943). He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 1971, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979, and was knighted in December of that year, four months before his death on 29 April 1980.
Known for
PsychoMan Outside Office (uncredited), Director8.4
Rear WindowClock-Winder in Songwriter's Apartment (uncredited), Director8.3
VertigoMan Walking Past Elster's Office (uncredited), Director8.1
North by NorthwestMan Who Misses Bus (uncredited), Director8.0
The BirdsPet Store Customer (uncredited), Director7.5
RopeMan Walking in Street (uncredited), Director7.9
Dial M for MurderBanquet Member (uncredited), Director8.0
RebeccaMan Outside Phone Booth (uncredited), Director7.9
Strangers on a TrainMan Boarding Train Carrying Double Bass (uncredited), Director7.7
NotoriousMan Drinking Champagne at Party (uncredited), Director7.7
To Catch a ThiefMan Sitting Next to John Robie on Bus (uncredited), Director7.3
The Man Who Knew Too MuchMan in Marrakesh Marketplace (uncredited), Director7.4
Filmography
The 80 most recent of 83 credits.
- 2026Alfred Hitchcock: The Unseen Home MoviesFilm: Director
- 2021Mythos Côte d'Azur - Liebe, Luxus, LeidenschaftFilm
- 2014Documenting John GriersonFilm
- 2009Hollywood sul TevereFilm
- 1997Obsessed with VertigoFilm
- 1992Innocent BloodFilm: Man with Cello Case (archive footage)
- 1990Intimate Portrait: Grace KellyFilm
- 1985The New Alfred Hitchcock PresentsSeries: Creator
- 1976Family PlotFilm: Silhouette at Office of Vital Statistics (uncredited), Director
- 1972FrenzyFilm: Spectator at Opening Rally (uncredited), Director
- 1969TopazFilm: Man in Wheelchair (uncredited), Director
- 1967Mondo HollywoodFilm
- 1966Torn CurtainFilm: Man in Hotel Lobby with Baby (uncredited), Director
- 1964MarnieFilm: Man Leaving Hotel Room (uncredited), Director
- 1963The BirdsFilm: Pet Store Customer (uncredited), Director
- 1962The Alfred Hitchcock HourSeries: Director, Creator (1 episode)
- 1960PsychoFilm: Man Outside Office (uncredited), Director
- 1959StartimeSeries: Director (1 episode)
- 1959North by NorthwestFilm: Man Who Misses Bus (uncredited), Director
- 1958VertigoFilm: Man Walking Past Elster's Office (uncredited), Director
- 1958MonitorSeries (1 episode)
- 1957SuspicionSeries: Director (2 episodes)
- 1956The Wrong ManFilm: Prologue Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director
- 1956The Man Who Knew Too MuchFilm: Man in Marrakesh Marketplace (uncredited), Director
- 1955The Trouble with HarryFilm: Passerby (uncredited), Director
- 1955Alfred Hitchcock PresentsSeries: Director, Creator (17 episodes)
- 1955To Catch a ThiefFilm: Man Sitting Next to John Robie on Bus (uncredited), Director
- 1954Rear WindowFilm: Clock-Winder in Songwriter's Apartment (uncredited), Director
- 1954Dial M for MurderFilm: Banquet Member (uncredited), Director
- 1953I ConfessFilm: Man Crossing the Top of Long Staircase (uncredited), Director
- 1951Strangers on a TrainFilm: Man Boarding Train Carrying Double Bass (uncredited), Director
- 1950Stage FrightFilm: Man Staring at Eve on Street (uncredited), Director
- 1950Robert Montgomery PresentsSeries: Director (1 episode)
- 1949Under CapricornFilm: Man at Governor's Reception (uncredited), Director
- 1948RopeFilm: Man Walking in Street (uncredited), Director
- 1947The Paradine CaseFilm: Director
- 1946NotoriousFilm: Man Drinking Champagne at Party (uncredited), Director
- 1945SpellboundFilm: Man Leaving Elevator (uncredited), Director
- 1944The Fighting GenerationFilm: Director
- 1944LifeboatFilm: Director
- 1944Aventure MalgacheFilm: Director
- 1944Bon VoyageFilm: Director
- 1943Shadow of a DoubtFilm: Man on Train Playing Cards (uncredited), Director
- 1942SaboteurFilm: Man in Front of New York Drugstore (uncredited), Director
- 1941SuspicionFilm: Man Mailing Letter (uncredited), Director
- 1941Mr. & Mrs. SmithFilm: Man Passing David on Street (uncredited), Director
- 1940Foreign CorrespondentFilm: Man with Newspaper on Street (uncredited), Director
- 1940RebeccaFilm: Man Outside Phone Booth (uncredited), Director
- 1939Joan Fontaine Wardrobe TestFilm: Director
- 1939Joan Fontaine, "Rebecca" Screen TestFilm: Director
- 1939Jamaica InnFilm: Director
- 1938The Lady VanishesFilm: Man in London Railway Station (uncredited), Director
- 1937Young and InnocentFilm: Photographer Outside Courthouse (uncredited), Director
- 1936SabotageFilm: Man Walking Past the Cinema as the Light Is Renewed, Director
- 1936Secret AgentFilm: Director
- 1935The 39 StepsFilm: Man Walking Past Bus (uncredited), Director
- 1934The Man Who Knew Too MuchFilm: Man in Raincoat Passing Bus (uncredited), Director
- 1934Waltzes from ViennaFilm: Director
- 1932Number SeventeenFilm: Director, Screenplay
- 1931Rich and StrangeFilm: Director
- 1931MaryFilm: Director
- 1931The Skin GameFilm: Director
- 1930Murder!Film: Man on Street (uncredited), Director
- 1930Juno and the PaycockFilm: Writer, Director
- 1930Elstree CallingFilm: Director
- 1930An Elastic AffairFilm: Director
- 1929BlackmailFilm: Man on Subway (uncredited), Screenplay, Director
- 1929The ManxmanFilm: Director
- 1929Sound Test for BlackmailFilm: Director
- 1928ChampagneFilm: Writer, Director
- 1928Easy VirtueFilm: Man with Stick Near Tennis Court (uncredited), Director
- 1928The Farmer's WifeFilm: Director, Writer
- 1927DownhillFilm: Director
- 1927The RingFilm: Man-Dipping Attraction Worker (uncredited), Writer, Director
- 1927The Lodger: A Story of the London FogFilm: Man in Newspaper Office (uncredited), Director, Screenplay
- 1926The Mountain EagleFilm: Director
- 1925The Prude's FallFilm: Writer
- 1925The Pleasure GardenFilm: Director
- 1925The BlackguardFilm: Writer
- 1924The Passionate AdventureFilm: Writer
Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.