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IMDbPro

Sidney J. Furie

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
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Sidney J. Furie in The Ipcress File (1965)
Toronto-born Sidney J. Furie has enjoyed an incredibly distinguished career that has spanned more than five decades. Having dabbled in every genre, Furie has directed films starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Robert Redford, Diana Ross, Michael Caine, Peter O'Toole, Rodney Dangerfield, Barbara Hershey, Gene Hackman, Donald Sutherland, 'Laurence Olivier' (qav) and countless others.

He directed the first two feature-length fiction films ever made in English Canada, A Dangerous Age (1957) and A Cool Sound from Hell (1959), both independently financed, before emigrating to London in 1960. In 1961 he directed five feature films in a single year, before finally scoring his first box-office success with Wonderful to Be Young! (1961), starring the "British Elvis Presley", Cliff Richard. The critical and commercial success of Furie's 1963 British New Wave film The Leather Boys (1964), a kitchen-sink drama starring Rita Tushingham and Dudley Sutton, delivered him to the attention of high-powered producer Harry Saltzman, who hired him to direct the groundbreaking film The Ipcress File (1965), which won the BAFTA award for Best Picture. Michael Caine became an overnight star because of the film's success. The film also screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Furie then emigrated to Hollywood to direct Marlon Brando in The Appaloosa (1966) and Frank Sinatra in The Naked Runner (1967) for Universal and Warner Brothers, respectively. Paramount Pictures, then under the aegis of the new Gulf+Western management regime, hired Furie in 1967. He would work as a Paramount filmmaker for the next eight years. Beginning in 1968, he directed five films for the studio. His box-office hit Lady Sings the Blues (1972) was nominated for five Academy Awards and was Paramount's second biggest money-maker that year, behind only The Godfather (1972).

In 1981 he directed The Entity (1982), a cult classic that was named by Martin Scorsese as the fourth best horror film ever made, ranking ahead of both The Shining (1980) and Psycho (1960). Furie was assigned to direct Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), but was challenged by substantial last-minute budget cuts and a script he could not change (engineered personally by Christopher Reeve).

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s he returned to his native Canada to helm a series of films, often direct-to-video pictures, ranging from the war drama Going Back (2001) to the Canadian-British co-production Rock My World (2002), a comedy starring Peter O'Toole and Joan Plowright. Other career highlights include The Boys in Company C (1978) (one of the first Vietnam War pictures about combat soldiers, later to provide the basis for Full Metal Jacket (1987)), the underrated action epic Hit! (1973), and the "Iron Eagle" series. He has also maintained dual citizenship between the U.S. and Canada. In 2010, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Directors Guild of Canada.
BornFebruary 25, 1933
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BornFebruary 25, 1933
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  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Won 1 BAFTA Award

Photos

Marlon Brando, Sidney J. Furie, and Rafael Campos in The Appaloosa (1966)

Known for

Gene Hackman, Mariel Hemingway, Jon Cryer, Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure, and Mark Pillow in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
3.7
  • Director
  • 1987
The Ipcress File (1965)
The Ipcress File
7.2
  • Director
  • 1965
Marlon Brando and Anjanette Comer in The Appaloosa (1966)
The Appaloosa
6.3
  • Director
  • 1966
Jason Gedrick and Louis Gossett Jr. in Iron Eagle (1986)
Iron Eagle
5.5
  • Director
  • 1986

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • Finding Hannah
    • Completed
  • Drive Me to Vegas and Mars (2018)
    Drive Me to Vegas and Mars
  • Pride of Lions (2014)
    Pride of Lions
  • Corey Sevier in Conduct Unbecoming (2011)
    Conduct Unbecoming
  • The Four Horsemen (2008)
    The Four Horsemen
  • The Veteran (2006)
    The Veteran
  • American Soldiers (2005)
    American Soldiers
  • Direct Action (2004)
    Direct Action
  • Dolph Lundgren in Detention (2003)
    Detention
  • Partners in Action (2002)
    Partners in Action
  • The Circle (2002)
    The Circle
  • Rock My World (2002)
    Rock My World
  • Under Heavy Fire (2001)
    Under Heavy Fire
  • Richard Thomas, Roger Cross, Shaun Benson, Elizabeth Lackey, and Khaira Ledeyo in Just Cause (2001)
    Just Cause
  • Billy Dee Williams, G. Gordon Liddy, Lisa Thornhill, and Lucky Vanous in 18 Wheels of Justice (2000)
    18 Wheels of Justice
  • Road Rage (2000)
    Road Rage

Writer

  • Finding Hannah
    • Completed
  • Drive Me to Vegas and Mars (2018)
    Drive Me to Vegas and Mars
  • Direct Action (2004)
    Direct Action
  • Under Heavy Fire (2001)
    Under Heavy Fire
  • The Rage (1997)
    The Rage
  • Louis Gossett Jr. and Rachel McLish in Aces: Iron Eagle III (1992)
    Aces: Iron Eagle III
  • Ken Wahl in The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991)
    The Taking of Beverly Hills
  • Iron Eagle II (1988)
    Iron Eagle II
  • Jason Gedrick and Louis Gossett Jr. in Iron Eagle (1986)
    Iron Eagle
  • Cheryl Ladd and Ken Wahl in Purple Hearts (1984)
    Purple Hearts
  • The Boys in Company C (1978)
    The Boys in Company C
  • Susan Howard, Barry Newman, and Albert Salmi in Petrocelli (1974)
    Petrocelli
  • Night Games (1974)
    Night Games
  • Mary Charlotte Wilcox in The Lawyer (1970)
    The Lawyer
  • Night of Passion (1960)
    Night of Passion
  • Hudson's Bay (1959)
    Hudson's Bay

Producer

  • Raise Your Kids on Seltzer (2015)
    Raise Your Kids on Seltzer
  • American Soldiers (2005)
    American Soldiers
  • Cheryl Ladd and Ken Wahl in Purple Hearts (1984)
    Purple Hearts
  • Voodoo Blood Death (1965)
    Voodoo Blood Death
    • (uncredited)
  • The Boys (1962)
    The Boys
  • Night of Passion (1960)
    Night of Passion
  • Hudson's Bay (1959)
    Hudson's Bay
  • A Cool Sound from Hell (1959)
    A Cool Sound from Hell
  • A Dangerous Age (1957)
    A Dangerous Age

Personal details

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    • February 25, 1933
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • December 28, 1969 - present (2 children)
  • Other works
    DVD commentary: Provided commentary for the Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD release of The Ipcress File (1965).
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 2 Interviews

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Furie was originally in line to direct The Godfather (1972) for Paramount. Producer Albert S. Ruddy had just come off Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970) with Furie, and was handed the task of producing "The Godfather" after "Little Fauss" had been brought in under-budget and under-schedule. Ruddy personally requested Furie to direct the picture, but Francis Ford Coppola's Italian heritage won the day.
  • Quotes
    The truth is, whether your film is about the great mythological character you have to do right, or it's a little movie that nobody ever heard of, you still approach it like it's the most important thing in the world. But failing goes with the territory. Filmmakers are like gunslingers, and you don't win every duel.
    • An imagistic visual style, often with a patented use of multiple cameras.

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