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IMDbPro

King Vidor(1894-1982)

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
King Vidor
Trailer for this drama directed by King Vidor
Play trailer1:26
The Champ (1931)
1 Video
23 Photos
King Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter of Hungarian descent. He was born in Galveston, Texas to lumberman Charles Shelton Vidor and his wife Kate Wallis. King's paternal grandfather Károly (Charles) Vidor had fled Hungary as a refugee following the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848 (1849-1849). The Kingdom of Hungary had attempted to gain independence from the Austrian Empire, but the revolutionary troops failed against the allied armies of the Austrian Empire and the Russian Empire. After the restoration of Habsburg power, Hungary was placed under brutal martial law. Karoly fled the country and settled in Galveston, Texas by the early 1850s.

During his childhood, King Vidor was a witness of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. The hurricane caused between 6,000 and 12,000 fatalities in the United States, based on varying estimates. Most of these deaths occurred in the vicinity of Galveston. Every house in the city sustained damage, about 3600 houses were completely destroyed, and an estimated 10,000 people were left homeless, out of a population of about 38,000. King Vidor would later give a somewhat fictionalized account of his hurricane experience in a 1935 interview.

By the early 1910s, Vidor was working as a freelance newsreel cameraman and cinema projectionist. In 1913, he directed the short film "The Grand Military Parade", his directing debut. In 1915, Vidor moved to Hollywood, California and was hired as a screenwriter and short-film director by Judge Willis Brown (1881-1931), owner of the Boy City Film Company in Culver City. Brown had gained fame as a judge of the Utah Juvenile Court and a progressive expert on boys' reformation, but had been kicked out of service when it was discovered that he did not actually have a law degree. Brown had established himself as a film producer in order to produce films depicting his main concerns about American society: juvenile delinquency and racial discrimination. Vidor served as a screenwriter and director of at least 10 films with these topics, while working for Brown.

In 1919, Vidor directed his first feature film: "The Turn in the Road". It was a silent drama film, depicting a businessman who loses his faith in God and any interest in industry, when his beloved wife dies in childbirth. Vidor's first major hit was the feature "Peg o' My Heart" (1922), an adaptation of a popular Broadway theatrical play. Following this success, Vidor was signed to a long-term contract for the studio Goldwyn Pictures. The studio was under the administration of Polish-American producer Samuel Goldwyn (1879-1974). In 1924, Goldwyn Pictures merged with Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into a new company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Vidor remained on contract with this new company.

In the 1920s, Vidor's most famous silent feature films were the war film "The Big Parade" (1925), the Academy-Award nominated drama "The Crowd" (1928), the comedy "Show People"" (1928), and the comedy-drama "The Patsy" (1928). His first sound film was the drama "Hallelujah" (1929), about the life of sharecroppers. It was one of the first Hollywood films with a cast consisting fully of African-Americans. Vidor expressed an interest in "showing the Southern Negro as he is" and attempted to depict African-American life beyond the popular stereotypes of the era.

Vidor faced no problem in transitioning from silent film to sound film, and continued regularly working on feature films until the late 1950s. His last major film was the Biblical-romance "Solomon and Sheba" (1959), featuring love, court intrigues, and military invasions during the reign of legendary Solomon, King of Israel (estimated to the 10th century BC). Afterwards he worked on short films and documentaries, his last film being the documentary "The Metaphor" (1980). The 86-year-old Vidor chose to retire from filmmaking in 1980.

In 1982, Vidor died at his ranch in Paso Robles, California, from an unspecified heart disease. He was 88-years-old and well past his prime. His remains were cremated and his ashes were scattered in his ranch.

Vidor was nominated 5 times for the Academy Award for Best Director, without ever winning. He was nominated for the feature films "The Crowd" (1928), "Hallelujah" (1929), "The Champ" (1931), "The Citadel" (1938), and "War and Peace" (1956). He won an Academy Honorary Award in 1979. Part of his modern fame rests on an uncredited part as an assistant director. Vidor directed the scenes set in Kansas for the novel adaptation "The Wizard of Oz" (1939).
BornFebruary 8, 1894
DiedNovember 1, 1982(88)
BornFebruary 8, 1894
DiedNovember 1, 1982(88)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Nominated for 5 Oscars

Photos23

King Vidor
Eleanor Boardman, John Gilbert, and King Vidor in Bardelys the Magnificent (1926)
Barbara Stanwyck, Alan Hale, and King Vidor in Stella Dallas (1937)
Eleanor Boardman and King Vidor in The Crowd (1928)
Lionel Barrymore, William H. Daniels, Miriam Hopkins, and King Vidor in The Stranger's Return (1933)
Robert Young, Ruth Hussey, and King Vidor in H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)
Daniel L. Haynes, Nina Mae McKinney, and King Vidor in Hallelujah (1929)
King Vidor in Hallelujah (1929)
King Vidor in Hallelujah (1929)
King Vidor in Hallelujah (1929)
Daniel L. Haynes, Victoria Spivey, and King Vidor in Hallelujah (1929)
King Vidor in Hallelujah (1929)

Known for

Eleanor Boardman and James Murray in The Crowd (1928)
The Crowd
8.1
  • Director
  • 1928
Hallelujah (1929)
Hallelujah
6.7
  • Director
  • 1929
William Collier Jr. and Sylvia Sidney in Street Scene (1931)
Street Scene
7.6
  • Director
  • 1931
Marion Davies and William Haines in Show People (1928)
Show People
7.6
  • Director
  • 1928

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • The Metaphor (1980)
    The Metaphor
  • A Personal Culture: Artist Tony Duquette
  • Truth and Illusion: An Introduction to Metaphysics (1964)
    Truth and Illusion: An Introduction to Metaphysics
    • (as Nicholas Rodiv)
  • Solomon and Sheba (1959)
    Solomon and Sheba
  • War and Peace (1956)
    War and Peace
  • Kirk Douglas and Jeanne Crain in Man Without a Star (1955)
    Man Without a Star
  • Light's Diamond Jubilee
  • Charlton Heston and Jennifer Jones in Ruby Gentry (1952)
    Ruby Gentry
  • Japanese War Bride (1952)
    Japanese War Bride
  • Lightning Strikes Twice (1951)
    Lightning Strikes Twice
  • Beyond the Forest (1949)
    Beyond the Forest
  • Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal in The Fountainhead (1949)
    The Fountainhead
  • James Stewart, Paulette Goddard, Harry James, Dorothy Lamour, and Fred MacMurray in On Our Merry Way (1948)
    On Our Merry Way
  • Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones in Duel in the Sun (1946)
    Duel in the Sun
  • Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards in An American Romance (1944)
    An American Romance

Writer

  • Truth and Illusion: An Introduction to Metaphysics (1964)
    Truth and Illusion: An Introduction to Metaphysics
    • (as Nicholas Rodiv)
  • War and Peace (1956)
    War and Peace
  • William Holden, William Bendix, Macdonald Carey, and Mona Freeman in Streets of Laredo (1949)
    Streets of Laredo
    • (uncredited)
  • Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards in An American Romance (1944)
    An American Romance
  • Hedy Lamarr, Robert Young, and Ruth Hussey in H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)
    H.M. Pulham, Esq.
  • Spencer Tracy and Robert Young in Northwest Passage (1940)
    Northwest Passage
    • (uncredited)
  • Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie, and Jean Parker in The Texas Rangers (1936)
    The Texas Rangers
  • Tom Keene and Karen Morley in Our Daily Bread (1934)
    Our Daily Bread
  • Clark Gable and Greta Garbo in Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931)
    Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)
    • (uncredited)
  • Hallelujah (1929)
    Hallelujah
  • Eleanor Boardman and James Murray in The Crowd (1928)
    The Crowd
  • The Big Parade (1925)
    The Big Parade
    • (uncredited)
  • John Gilbert and Aileen Pringle in His Hour (1924)
    His Hour
  • Frank Mayo, Charles A. Post, and Virginia Valli in Wild Oranges (1924)
    Wild Oranges
  • Three Wise Fools (1923)
    Three Wise Fools

Producer

  • The Metaphor (1980)
    The Metaphor
  • Charlton Heston and Jennifer Jones in Ruby Gentry (1952)
    Ruby Gentry
  • Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards in An American Romance (1944)
    An American Romance
  • Hedy Lamarr, Robert Young, and Ruth Hussey in H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)
    H.M. Pulham, Esq.
    • (uncredited)
  • Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr in Comrade X (1940)
    Comrade X
  • Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie, and Jean Parker in The Texas Rangers (1936)
    The Texas Rangers
  • Tom Keene and Karen Morley in Our Daily Bread (1934)
    Our Daily Bread
    • (uncredited)
  • Dolores del Rio and Joel McCrea in Bird of Paradise (1932)
    Bird of Paradise
  • Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, and Irene Rich in The Champ (1931)
    The Champ
  • Wallace Beery, Johnny Mack Brown, and Kay Johnson in Billy the Kid (1930)
    Billy the Kid
  • Marion Davies, Franklin Pangborn, and Sally Starr in Not So Dumb (1930)
    Not So Dumb
    • (uncredited)
  • Hallelujah (1929)
    Hallelujah
  • Marion Davies and William Haines in Show People (1928)
    Show People
    • (uncredited)
  • The Patsy (1928)
    The Patsy
    • (uncredited)
  • The Big Parade (1925)
    The Big Parade
    • (uncredited)

Videos1

The Champ
Trailer 1:26
The Champ

Personal details

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    • February 8, 1894
    • Galveston, Texas, USA
    • November 1, 1982
    • Paso Robles, California, USA(heart ailment)
    • July 26, 1937 - August 21, 1978 (her death)
    • Suzanne Vidor Parry
  • Other works
    Sidney D. Kirkpatrick's _A Cast of Killers,_ a fascinating read for crime and film buffs, was based on material found buried in Vidor's garage after he died.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 8 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 26 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Entered into Guinness World Records as having "The Longest Career As A Film Director", spanning 67 years beginning with Hurricane in Galveston (1913) in 1913 and ending with the documentary The Metaphor (1980) in 1980.
  • Quotes
    The director is the channel through which a motion picture reaches the screen.
    • The Big Parade
      (1925)
      $425 /week

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