Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger (
December 5,
1906 –
April 23,
1986) was a
film director.
Born in
Vienna, of assimilated
Jewish ancestry, he worked with
Max Reinhardt before emigrating to America. At first he directed and acted for
20th Century Fox, his
Austrian accent typecasting him as a screen
Nazi, despite his Jewish background.
After the war, he became well known as a
Hollywood director in the 1950s and early 1960s — delivering films that were well received by critics such as
Andrew Sarris.
The bald-headed Preminger was known to fulfill the stereotype of the demanding Teutonic terror, in the vein of directors such as
Erich von Stroheim and
Fritz Lang. He was well-respected by some, but was often antagonistic towards his actors:
Dyan Cannon once commented that she didn't think "he was capable of directing his nephew to the bathroom." Nonetheless, he was credited with helping break down the ingrained Catholic censorship then controlling motion pictures by dint of his demands, creativity and control.
Notable films include:
Anatomy of a Murder with
James Stewart,
Lee Remick,
George C. Scott and
Ben Gazzara.
Laura a much admired film noir starring
Gene Tierney and
Dana Andrews.
Advise and Consent starring an on-form
Charles Laughton.
Bonjour Tristesse with
David Niven and
Deborah Kerr. He also acted in a few movies; his most notable role is that of the warden of a German POW camp in
Stalag 17.
In the
1960s Batman television series, Preminger was one of three actors who played
Mr. Freeze.
Adam West, who portrayed
Batman recalls Preminger as incredibly rude and unpleasant, and that all members of the cast were secretly delighted when he was subsequently pursued for unpaid dues by the
Screen Actors Guild.
Ingo Preminger, who produced the 1970
M*A*S*H movie, is Otto Preminger's brother.
Through an extramarital relationship with
Gypsy Rose Lee he had one child,
writer and
screenwriter Erik Lee Preminger.
During his marriage, he engaged in an affair with
Dorothy Dandridge, who wanted him to leave his wife and marry her.
Otto Preminger died in 1986, aged 79, of
cancer and
Alzheimer's disease, and was interred in the
Woodlawn Cemetery,
The Bronx,
New York.
Die große Liebe (1931)
Under Your Spell (1936)
Danger, Love at Work (1937)
Kidnapped (1938)
Clare Booth Luce's Margin for Error (U.S.) aka
Margin for Error (UK) (1943)
In the Meantime, Darling (1944)
Laura (1944)
A Royal Scandal (U.S.) aka
Czarina (UK) (1945)
Fallen Angel (1945)
Forever Amber (1947)
Daisy Kenyon (1947)
The Fan (U.S.) aka
Lady Windermere's Fan (UK) (1949)
Whirlpool (1950)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
The 13th Letter (1951)
Angel Face (1952)
Stalag 17 (1953)
The Moon is Blue (1953)
Carmen Jones (1954)
River of No Return (1954)
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (U.S.) aka
One Man Mutiny (UK) (1955)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1956)
Saint Joan (1957)
Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
Porgy and Bess (1959)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Exodus (1960)
Advise and Consent (1962)
The Cardinal (1963)
In Harm's Way (1964)
Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)
Hurry Sundown (1967)
Tell Me That You Love Me (1968)
Skidoo (1968)
Such Good Friends (1971)
Rosebud (1975)
The Human Factor (1979)
Awards
Preminger received one
Oscar nomination for
Best Picture for
Anatomy of a Murder. He was twice nominated for the best director award for
Laura and for
The Cardinal.
