Biography for
Gilbert Cates More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

6 June 1934, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

31 October 2011, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name

Gilbert Lewis Katz

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Spouse

Dr. Judith Reichman	(25 January 1987 - 31 October 2011) (his death)
Jane Betty Dubin	(9 February 1957 - ?) (divorced) 4 children

Trivia

Father of Gil Cates Jr.

Dean, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television from 1990 - 1997.

Artistic Director, UCLA Geffen Playhouse since 1994. (As of 1999.)

Younger brother of Joseph Cates.

Uncle of actress Phoebe Cates, Valerie Cates and Alexandra Cates.

Educated at Syracuse University.

Secretary-treasurer of DGA [2001]

President of the Directors Guild of America (DGA). [1983-1987]

Took an "Alan Smithee" credit for "The Twilight Zone: Teacher's Aide/Paladin of the Lost Hour (#1.7)" (1985), one of the most highly regarded episodes of the 1980s incarnation of "Twilight Zone" (1959), while he was president of the Director's Guild.

Produced a record 14 Oscar telecasts, which included the creation of the 'In Memoriam' segment.

Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Directors Branch) [1984-1993 & 2002-2005].

Granduncle of Owen Kline and Greta Kline.

Has directed 4 actors to Oscar nominations: Melvyn Douglas (Best Actor, I Never Sang for My Father (1970)), Gene Hackman (Best Supporting Actor, I Never Sang for My Father (1970)), Joanne Woodward (Best Actress, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973)), and Sylvia Sidney (Best Supporting Actress, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973)).

Says that "one of the happiest moments I've ever had" came in 1984, when the Directors Guild was honoring Orson Welles with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Cates succeeded in getting Robert Wise and Welles to shake hands on stage after 42 years of bitterness between them, owing to the editing of the ill-fated The Magnificent Ambersons (1942).

Received the Directors Guild Presidents Award in 2005.

Personal Quotes

"If you want a sense of what America is like, you'll watch the Oscars." (March 2006)

I was always more interested in the battlefield of human relationships. The relationship between people and their families is a connecting thread between all my features and television movies.

To me, if you talk about the Directors Guild and leave out the point about trying to have one person reach the spirit of other people, then you're really missing the whole point of the Guild.