László Benedek
Encyclopedia
László Benedek, sometimes credited as Laslo Benedek (March 5, 1905 – March 11, 1992), was a Hungarian
-born film director
.
, he worked as a writer and editor in Hungarian cinema until World War II
. Louis B. Mayer
helped the Jewish Benedek escape and brought him to Hollywood where he directed his first film for MGM in 1944 as a stand-in.
He gained wide recognition for his direction of 1951's Death of a Salesman
, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director
and a Best Director nomination from the Directors Guild of America
. However, it was for his directorial efforts on his next project that Benedek is best remembered. His 1953 motorcycle gang film The Wild One
caused a storm of controversy and was banned in the United Kingdom
until 1968.
László Benedek spoke several languages and directed in Germany
, making the 1955 film Kinder, Mütter und ein General and in France
in 1960, directing Recours en grâce. In Hollywood, Benedek went on to make more motion pictures, but also became a significant director of television series, beginning with the Perry Mason
series in 1957. He also directed episodes of other shows, including The Outer Limits
, Mannix
, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
, The Untouchables
, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Benedek died in 1992 in The Bronx
, New York
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
-born film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Biography
Born in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, he worked as a writer and editor in Hungarian cinema until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Louis B. Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
helped the Jewish Benedek escape and brought him to Hollywood where he directed his first film for MGM in 1944 as a stand-in.
He gained wide recognition for his direction of 1951's Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director
Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture
This page lists the winners of and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Since its inception in 1943, it has been presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, an organization composed of journalists who cover the United States film industry for publications based...
and a Best Director nomination from the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
. However, it was for his directorial efforts on his next project that Benedek is best remembered. His 1953 motorcycle gang film The Wild One
The Wild One
The Wild One is a 1953 outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is famed for Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.-Basis:...
caused a storm of controversy and was banned in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
until 1968.
László Benedek spoke several languages and directed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, making the 1955 film Kinder, Mütter und ein General and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1960, directing Recours en grâce. In Hollywood, Benedek went on to make more motion pictures, but also became a significant director of television series, beginning with the Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
series in 1957. He also directed episodes of other shows, including The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
, Mannix
Mannix
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
, The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Benedek died in 1992 in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Filmography (director)
- Song of RussiaSong of RussiaSong of Russia is a 1944 American war film made and distributed by MGM Studios. The picture was credited as being directed by Gregory Ratoff, though Ratoff collapsed near the end of the five-month production, and was replaced by László Benedek, who completed principal photography; the credited...
(1944) - The Kissing Bandit (1948)
- Port of New York (1949)
- Death of a SalesmanDeath of a SalesmanDeath of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
(1951) - The Wild OneThe Wild OneThe Wild One is a 1953 outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is famed for Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.-Basis:...
(1953) - Bengal BrigadeBengal BrigadeBengal Brigade is a 1954 American action film directed by Laslo Benedek and starring Rock Hudson, Arlene Dahl and Ursula Thiess.Set in British India in 1857, at the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny...
(1954) - Children, Mother, and the GeneralChildren, Mother, and the GeneralChildren, Mother, and the General is a 1955 German war film directed by László Benedek and starring Hilde Krahl.-Cast:* Hilde Krahl - Helene Asmussen* Ewald Balser - General* Therese Giehse - Elfriede Bergmann* Ursula Herking - Dr...
(Germany, 1955) - Recours en grâce (France, 1960)
- MalagaMalaga (1960 film)Malaga is a 1960 crime drama film starring Trevor Howard, Dorothy Dandridge, and Edmund Purdom. It was filmed in Europe in the late months of 1959 under the original title, Moment of Danger, but when filming was completed the title was changed to Malaga, for reasons unknown...
(1960) - Namu, the Killer WhaleNamu, the Killer WhaleNamu, the Killer Whale is a 1966 American film about a killer whale being studied by a local marine biologist and initially feared by local townspeople. The fictional story was filmed on location in the San Juan Islands and at Rich Cove near Port Orchard in the US state of Washington...
(1966) - Daring GameDaring Game (film)Daring Game is a 1968 film starring Lloyd Bridges and Nico Minardos filmed at the Ivan Tors studio in Miami and in the Bahamas. The working title was The Unkillables.-Plot:...
(1968) - The Night VisitorThe Night VisitorThe Night Visitor is a 1971 Swedish psychological thriller film, starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Trevor Howard, Per Oscarsson, Rupert Davies and Andrew Keir, and directed by Laslo Benedek....
(1971) - Assault on Agathon (1975)
External links
- László Benedek at the Internet Movie Database