King Wallis Vidor was born in Galveston, Texas, in 1894, the son of Hungarian immigrants. He was fascinated with movies from a very early age and his first brush with the movie industry was as a projectionist in a Galveston cinema in his teens.
He made his first amateur movie as a 15-year-old and formed his first film company in 1915, when only 21. By this time he had already moved to Hollywood with his new bride. He began by shooting silent two-reelers, but soon graduated to more ambitious fare. He made his last movie in 1980 at the age of 86 and is credited with the longest career as a film director.
He attained his greatest successes in tandem with the legendary Hollywood producer David O. Selznick. But he also worked extensively for MGM and other major studios.
His most notable features were the 1925 silent, The Big Parade, Billy The Kid in 1930, The Texas Rangers in 1936, Duel In The Sun in 1946 and the brilliant War and Peace in 1956. This last mentioned starred Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer and is still seen by many movie buffs as the definitive version of Tolstoy's masterpiece. Mr Vidor was nominated for an Oscar on five occasions, but never won one in competition. However, in 1979 he received an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar.
Despite his mid-European roots, King Vidor regarded himself as a Southerner and frequently made films that championed the poor and exposed racism. He was also a Christian Scientist, with a self-proclaimed sense of mission about his film-making.
He died on November 1, 1982, at the age of 88, leaving behind a wealth of films noted for their realism, their powerful social comment and their psychological complexities.
For some strange reason the achievements of Mr Vidor have attracted less attention than perhaps they should have done. His place in the Hollywood pantheon is less well hyped than some other directors' with more modest CVs. But his extensive catalogue of quality and entertaining feature films really should assure him of a lasting place in the catalogue of the 20th century's great movie directors.
He made his first amateur movie as a 15-year-old and formed his first film company in 1915, when only 21. By this time he had already moved to Hollywood with his new bride. He began by shooting silent two-reelers, but soon graduated to more ambitious fare. He made his last movie in 1980 at the age of 86 and is credited with the longest career as a film director.
He attained his greatest successes in tandem with the legendary Hollywood producer David O. Selznick. But he also worked extensively for MGM and other major studios.
His most notable features were the 1925 silent, The Big Parade, Billy The Kid in 1930, The Texas Rangers in 1936, Duel In The Sun in 1946 and the brilliant War and Peace in 1956. This last mentioned starred Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer and is still seen by many movie buffs as the definitive version of Tolstoy's masterpiece. Mr Vidor was nominated for an Oscar on five occasions, but never won one in competition. However, in 1979 he received an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar.
Despite his mid-European roots, King Vidor regarded himself as a Southerner and frequently made films that championed the poor and exposed racism. He was also a Christian Scientist, with a self-proclaimed sense of mission about his film-making.
He died on November 1, 1982, at the age of 88, leaving behind a wealth of films noted for their realism, their powerful social comment and their psychological complexities.
For some strange reason the achievements of Mr Vidor have attracted less attention than perhaps they should have done. His place in the Hollywood pantheon is less well hyped than some other directors' with more modest CVs. But his extensive catalogue of quality and entertaining feature films really should assure him of a lasting place in the catalogue of the 20th century's great movie directors.