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John Huston

Directing Born Aug 5, 1906 Nevada, Missouri, USA 24 credits

Biography

John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), The Misfits (1961), Fat City (1972), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Prizzi's Honor (1985).

In his early years, Huston studied and worked as a fine art painter in Paris. He explored the visual aspects of his films throughout his career, sketching each scene on paper beforehand, then carefully framing his characters during the shooting. While most directors rely on post-production editing to shape their final work, Huston instead created his films while they were being shot, with little editing needed. Some of Huston's films were adaptations of important novels, often depicting an "heroic quest," as in Moby Dick, or The Red Badge of Courage. In many films, different groups of people, while struggling toward a common goal, would become doomed, forming "destructive alliances," giving the films a dramatic and visual tension. Many of his films involved themes such as religion, meaning, truth, freedom, psychology, colonialism, and war.

Huston has been referred to as "a titan", "a rebel", and a "renaissance man" in the Hollywood film industry. Author Ian Freer describes him as "cinema's Ernest Hemingway"—a filmmaker who was "never afraid to tackle tough issues head on." During his 46-year career, Huston received 15 Oscar nominations, winning twice. He directed both his father, Walter Huston, and daughter, Anjelica Huston, to Oscar wins.

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Known for

The Merv Griffin Show

as Self
Film

Chinatown

as Noah Cross
Film

Candy

as Dr. Arnold Dunlap

Australian Survivor

as Narrator (voice)
Film

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

as American in Tampico in White Suit (uncredited)

Fringe

as The Lawgiver

Full filmography

  • The Merv Griffin Show (1962) as Self
  • Spécial cinéma (1974) as Self
  • Spécial cinéma (1974) as Self (archive footage)
  • The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self
  • The Dick Cavett Show (1968) as Self - Guest
  • Film '72 (1971) as Self
  • The Oscars (1953) as Self
  • Tonight Starring Jack Paar (1957) as Self
  • Chinatown (1974) as Noah Cross
  • Candy (1968) as Dr. Arnold Dunlap
  • The Misfits (1961) as Extra in Blackjack Scene (uncredited)
  • Casino Royale (1967) as M / General MacTarry
  • The American Film Institute Salute to ... (1973) as Self
  • The Black Cauldron (1985) as Narrator (voice)
  • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) as American in Tampico in White Suit (uncredited)
  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) as The Lawgiver
  • Annie (1982) as Actor on Radio (uncredited)
  • The Word (1978) as Nathan Randall
  • Moby Dick (1956) as Barman / Ship's Lookout (voice) (uncredited)
  • The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966) as Noah
  • The Rhinemann Exchange (1977) as Ambassador Henderson Granville
  • The Hobbit (1977) as Gandalf the Grey (voice)
  • National Geographic Specials (1965) as Narrator (voice)
  • Momo (1986) as Meister Hora