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Richard Fleischer

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Richard O. Fleischer (December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director.

Fleischer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Essie (née Goldstein) and animator/producer Max Fleischer. After graduating from Brown University, he went to Yale School of Drama, where he met his future wife, Mary Dickson.

His film career began in 1942 at the RKO studio, directing shorts, documentaries, and compilations of forgotten silent features.

Fleischer moved to Los Angeles and was assigned his first feature, Child of Divorce (1946). In 1954, he was chosen by Walt Disney (his father's former rival as a cartoon producer) to direct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Kirk Douglas. In 1955 Fox signed Fleischer to a long term contract. He would work for that studio for the next fifteen years. His first film under his new contract with Fox was The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955). Kirk Douglas hired Fleischer to make The Vikings (1958), which was another big hit. He then moved to Paris where he directed two stories for Darryl F. Zanuck starring Greco. Fleischer then signed a contract with Dino de Laurentiis to make Barabbas (1962). Back in Hollywood, Richard Zanuck had become head of production at Fox and offered Fleischer Fantastic Voyage (1966). It was a success and resurrected his Hollywood career. Che! (1969), a biopic of Che Guevera that starred Omar Sharif, was an expensive flop, as was an account of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). This was his last film for 20th Century Fox.

Fleischer travelled to England, where he directed an acclaimed thriller, 10 Rillington Place. See No Evil (1971) with Mia Farrow was another thriller. In Hollywood, he made The New Centurions (1972). At MGM, he made a science-fiction film, Soylent Green (1973), with Charlton Heston.

He was reunited with De Laurentiis for the popular, if controversial, Mandingo (1975). The Prince and the Pauper (1977) was a version of the Mark Twain novel that featured Heston, Harrison and Scott in its cast. Fleischer was then hired on Ashanti (1979), starring Michael Caine, which turned out to be a flop. Tough Enough (1983) was about the Toughman Contest starring Dennis Quaid. He made three more for de Laurentiis. His final theatrical feature was Million Dollar Mystery (1987).

Fleischer was chairman of Fleischer Studios, which today handles the licensing of Betty Boop and Koko the Clown. In June 2005, he released his memoirs of his father's career in Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution.

Fleischer's 1993 autobiography, Just Tell Me When to Cry, described his many difficulties with actors, writers and producers.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard O. Fleischer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Actor

Make Mine Memories

1945

as Director

Documentaries

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

2010

as Self – Interviewee

First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series

2006

as Himself - Son of Max Fleischer

Filmmakers vs. Tycoons

2005

as Self

Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz

2004

as Self

Murder by Numbers

2004

as Self

The Making of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

2003

as Self

Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons

1995

as Self

A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'

1973

as Self

Operation Undersea

1954

as Self

The Reality Trip

as self

Directing

Call from Space

1989

Director

Million Dollar Mystery

1987

Director

Red Sonja

1985

Director

Conan the Destroyer

1984

Director

Amityville 3-D

1983

Director

Tough Enough

1983

Director

The Jazz Singer

1980

Director

Ashanti

1979

Director

The Prince and the Pauper

1977

Director

The Incredible Sarah

1976

Director

Mandingo

1975

Director

Mr. Majestyk

1974

Director

The Spikes Gang

1974

Director

The Don Is Dead

1973

Director

Soylent Green

1973

Director

The New Centurions

1972

Director

See No Evil

1971

Director

The Last Run

1971

Director

10 Rillington Place

1971

Director

Tora! Tora! Tora!

1970

Director

Che!

1969

Director

The Boston Strangler

1968

Director

Doctor Dolittle

1967

Director

Fantastic Voyage

1966

Director

Barabbas

1961

Director

The Big Gamble

1961

Director

Crack in the Mirror

1960

Director

These Thousand Hills

1959

Director

Compulsion

1959

Director

The Vikings

1958

Director

Between Heaven and Hell

1956

Director

Bandit!

1956

Director

The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing

1955

Director

Violent Saturday

1955

Director

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

1954

Director

Arena

1953

Director

The Happy Time

1952

Director

The Narrow Margin

1952

Director

His Kind of Woman

1951

Director

Armored Car Robbery

1950

Director

Trapped

1949

Director

Make Mine Laughs

1949

Director

Follow Me Quietly

1949

Director

The Clay Pigeon

1949

Director

Bodyguard

1948

Director

Design for Death

1948

Director

So This Is New York

1948

Director

Banjo

1947

Director

Mr. Bell

1947

Director

Child of Divorce

1946

Director

Make Mine Memories

1945

Director

Memo for Joe

1944

Director

Flicker Flashbacks #2

1943

Director

Richard Fleischer

Actor

Documentaries

Directing

Production

Writing

Crew