Alexander Mackendrick

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Alexander Mackendrick (born September 8, 1912 in Boston , Massachusetts , † December 22, 1993 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American director .

life and work

Alexander Mackendrick was born in the United States but moved to Scotland with his Scottish parents at a young age . There he studied at the Glasgow School of Art . After completing his training, he began working as a commercial artist and his first jobs were animated commercials . But he soon realized that he would like to make feature films . In the 1940s he began producing a number of documentaries and screenplays .

His first feature film was in 1948 Joy of Life , which was followed by the films The Man in White Suit (1951), Mandy (1952), Oller Kahn with megalomania (1953) and Ladykillers (1955). Several of these films are part of the Ealing Studios' inventory of classic comedies .

His first Hollywood film was the drama Your Fate in My Hand with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis in 1957 . However, this film proved to be a commercial failure, although it continues to receive critical acclaim to this day. The other works of Mackendrick could not build on the popular success of his British films. After these failures, he was offered an academic post in the film department of the California Institute of the Arts , which he held until his death.

Filmography

script

Director

Castlebay on the island of Barra , Outer Hebrides : Scottish Film Council commemorative plaque from 1996 for director Alexander “Sandy” Mackendrick, who wrote the film Whiskey Galore! turned. The badge is bilingual in English and Gaelic .

Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Mackendrick, Alexander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American director
DATE OF BIRTH September 8, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Boston , Massachusetts, United States
DATE OF DEATH December 22, 1993
Place of death Los Angeles , California, United States