Billy Wilder: Movies, Awards & Box Office

Billy Wilder (/ˈwaɪldər/; German: [ˈvɪldɐ]; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an eminent American filmmaker and screenwriter. He was born in Sucha Beskidzka, Poland, which was a part of Austria-Hungary during his birth. Wilder had a career in Hollywood that spanned over five decades, where he is renowned as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hollywood cinema. He was the recipient of numerous accolades including seven Academy Awards (among 21 nominations), a BAFTA Award, the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or and two Golden Globe Awards. He began his career as a screenwriter while living in Berlin. Rising antisemitism and the Nazi Party's ascension in Germany forced him to move to Paris and subsequently to Hollywood in 1934. His first major hit came when he co-wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award-nominated film Ninotchka (1939). He established his directorial reputation with the film noir Double Indemnity (1944) and won Best Director and Best Screenplay Academy Awards for The Lost Weekend (1945). Throughout the 1950s, Wilder directed and co-wrote a string of critically acclaimed films. These include Sunset Boulevard (1950), for which he won his second screenplay Academy Award; Ace in the Hole (1951), Stalag 17 (1953) and Sabrina (1954). Other notable films directed by Wilder include One, Two, Three (1961), Irma la Douce (1963), Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), The Fortune Cookie (1966) and Avanti! (1972). He received various honors for his distinguished career, including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1986, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1990, the National Medal of Arts in 1993 and the BAFTA Fellowship Award in 1995.