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IMDbPro

Otto Preminger(1905-1986)

  • Director
  • Producer
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Otto Preminger
Trailer for this classic directed by Otto Preminger
Play trailer2:55
River of No Return (1954)
1 Video
42 Photos
Otto Ludwig Preminger was born in Wiznitz, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary. His father was a prosecutor, and Otto originally intended to follow his father into a law career; however, he fell in love with the theater in his 20's and became one of the most imaginative stage producers and directors. He was only 24 when engaged by Max Reinhardt to take over his theatre where he produced all kids of plays. He directed his first film in 1931, and came to the US in 1936 to direct 'Libel' on the Broadway stage. He then moved to Hollywood where he signed with Fox becoming the first independent producer / director .He alternated between stage and film until the great success of Laura (1944) made him an A-list director in Hollyood.

For two decades after "Laura was released in 1944, Preminger ranked as one of the top directors in the world. His powers began to wane after Advise & Consent (1962), and by the end of the decade, he was considered washed-up. However, such was the potency of his craftsmanship that he continued to direct major motion pictures into the 1970s, with Rosebud (1975) getting scathing reviews. His last directorial effort was The Human Factor (1979), which won him respectful notices.

Otto Preminger died on April 23, 1986 in New York City from the effects of lung cancer and Alzheimer's disease. He was 80 years old.
BornDecember 5, 1905
DiedApril 23, 1986(80)
BornDecember 5, 1905
DiedApril 23, 1986(80)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Nominated for 3 Oscars

Photos42

Frank Sinatra and Otto Preminger in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Romy Schneider, Otto Preminger, and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
Romy Schneider, Otto Preminger, and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
Anne Baxter, Otto Preminger, and Monty Woolley in The Pied Piper (1942)
Anne Baxter, Roddy McDowall, Otto Preminger, and Monty Woolley in The Pied Piper (1942)
Otto Preminger in Margin for Error (1943)
Otto Preminger in Margin for Error (1943)
"Exodus," P. Newman, O. Preminger, E.M. Saint, & L.J. Cobb. 1960 UA
"Stalag 17" William Holden and Otto Preminger 1953 Paramount / MPTV
"Stalag 17" William Holden, Otto Perminger, Don Taylor 1953 Paramount / MPTV
Joan Bennett, Milton Berle, and Otto Preminger in Margin for Error (1943)
Joan Bennett and Otto Preminger in Margin for Error (1943)

Known for

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Anatomy of a Murder
8.0
  • Director
  • 1959
Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews in Laura (1944)
Laura
7.9
  • Director
  • 1944
William Holden, Harvey Lembeck, and Robert Strauss in Stalag 17 (1953)
Stalag 17
8.0
  • Oberst von Scherbach
  • 1953
Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones (1954)
Carmen Jones
6.7
  • Director
  • 1954

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • Cinéma cinémas (1982)
    Cinéma cinémas
  • "The Human Factor" (Saul Bass Poster) 1979
    The Human Factor
  • Rosebud (1975)
    Rosebud
  • "Such Good Friends" (Saul Bass Poster) 1971 Paramount Pictures
    Such Good Friends
  • Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970)
    Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
  • Skidoo (1968)
    Skidoo
  • Hurry Sundown (1967)
    Hurry Sundown
  • Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
    Bunny Lake Is Missing
  • In Harm's Way (1965)
    In Harm's Way
  • Romy Schneider and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
    The Cardinal
  • Advise & Consent (1962)
    Advise & Consent
  • "Exodus" (Saul Bass Poster) 1960 Columbia Pictures
    Exodus
  • Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
    Anatomy of a Murder
  • Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dorothy Dandridge in Porgy and Bess (1959)
    Porgy and Bess
  • "Bonjour tristesse" (Saul Bass Poster) 1958 Columbia Pictures
    Bonjour Tristesse

Producer

  • "The Human Factor" (Saul Bass Poster) 1979
    The Human Factor
  • Rosebud (1975)
    Rosebud
  • "Such Good Friends" (Saul Bass Poster) 1971 Paramount Pictures
    Such Good Friends
  • Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970)
    Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
    • (produced by)
  • Skidoo (1968)
    Skidoo
  • Hurry Sundown (1967)
    Hurry Sundown
  • Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
    Bunny Lake Is Missing
  • In Harm's Way (1965)
    In Harm's Way
  • Romy Schneider and Tom Tryon in The Cardinal (1963)
    The Cardinal
  • Advise & Consent (1962)
    Advise & Consent
  • "Exodus" (Saul Bass Poster) 1960 Columbia Pictures
    Exodus
  • Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
    Anatomy of a Murder
  • "Bonjour tristesse" (Saul Bass Poster) 1958 Columbia Pictures
    Bonjour Tristesse
  • The Making of 'Saint Joan' (1957)
    The Making of 'Saint Joan'
  • Saint Joan (1957)
    Saint Joan

Actor

  • The Hobbit (1977)
    The Hobbit
    • (voice)
  • Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (aka Rowan & Martin) 1975
    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
    • (uncredited)
  • Skidoo (1968)
    Skidoo
    • (voice, uncredited)
  • Batman (1966)
    Batman
  • Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
    Bunny Lake Is Missing
    • (uncredited)
  • Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine (1962)
    Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine
  • "Exodus" (Saul Bass Poster) 1960 Columbia Pictures
    Exodus
    • (uncredited)
  • Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Rod Serling in Suspense (1949)
    Suspense
  • William Holden, Harvey Lembeck, and Robert Strauss in Stalag 17 (1953)
    Stalag 17
  • The Billy Rose Show
  • June Haver, Joan Leslie, and Fred MacMurray in Where Do We Go from Here? (1945)
    Where Do We Go from Here?
    • (uncredited)
  • Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour in They Got Me Covered (1943)
    They Got Me Covered
  • Joan Bennett, Milton Berle, and Otto Preminger in Margin for Error (1943)
    Margin for Error
  • Anne Baxter, Roddy McDowall, and Monty Woolley in The Pied Piper (1942)
    The Pied Piper

Videos1

River of No Return
Trailer 2:55
River of No Return

Personal details

Edit
    • Broadway org.
    • December 5, 1905
    • Wiznitz, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary [now Vyzhnytsia, Chernivetska oblast, Ukraine]
    • April 23, 1986
    • New York City, New York, USA(lung cancer and Alzheimer's disease)
    • Hope BryceDecember 28, 1971 - April 23, 1986 (his death, 2 children)
    • Erik Lee Preminger
  • Other works
    He was a very successful and famous stage director in the Viennese 'Theater in der Josefstadt', where Max Reinhardt was director.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 6 Print Biographies
    • 2 Portrayals
    • 1 Interview
    • 12 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    At the premiere of Exodus (1960), Jewish comedian Mort Sahl is reported to have exclaimed, "Otto, let my people go!", which was ironic given that Preminger himself was Jewish.
  • Quotes
    I do not welcome advice from actors, they are here to act.
    • Known for his boundary-pushing characters and storylines, which frequently courted controversy upon release
    • Laura
      (1944)
      $1,500 /week

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