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Sidney Lumet

Biography

Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his name. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982). He did not win an individual Academy Award, although he did receive an Academy Honorary Award and 14 of his films were nominated for various Oscars, such as Network, which was nominated for 10, winning 4.

The Encyclopedia of Hollywood states that Lumet was one of the most prolific directors of the modern era, making more than one movie per year on average since his directorial debut in 1957. He was noted by Turner Classic Movies for his "strong direction of actors", "vigorous storytelling" and the "social realism" in his best work. Film critic Roger Ebert described him as having been "one of the finest craftsmen and warmest humanitarians among all film directors." Lumet was also known as an "actor's director," having worked with the best of them during his career, probably more than "any other director."

Lumet began his career as an Off-Broadway director, then became a highly efficient TV director. His first movie was typical of his best work: a well-acted, tightly written, deeply considered "problem picture," 12 Angry Men (1957). From that point on Lumet divided his energies among other idealistic problem pictures along with literate adaptations of plays and novels, big stylish pictures, New York-based black comedies, and realistic crime dramas, including Serpico and Prince of the City. As a result of directing 12 Angry Men, he was also responsible for leading the first wave of directors who made a successful transition from TV to movies. In 2005, Lumet received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his "brilliant services to screenwriters, performers, and the art of the motion picture." Two years later, he concluded his career with the acclaimed drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Sidney Lumet, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Actor

The Manchurian Candidate

2004

as Political Pundit

One Third of a Nation

1939

as Joey Rogers

Documentaries

One Step Further: Becoming Lumet

2023

as Self

The Enigmatic Charlotte Rampling

2023

as Self (archive footage)

Paul Newman: The Restless

2023

as Self - Interviewee (archive footage)

Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall

2016

as Self (archive footage)

By Sidney Lumet

2015

as Self

And the Oscar Goes To...

2014

as Self (archive footage)

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale

2009

as Self

You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story

2008

as Self

Directed by Sidney Lumet: How the Devil Was Made

2008

as Self

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Making '12 Angry Men'

2008

as Self

Prince of the City: The Real Story

2007

as Self

Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film

2006

as Self

The Making of 'Dog Day Afternoon'

2006

as Self

The Making of 'Network'

2006

as Self

Making 'Murder on the Orient-Express'

2004

as Self

Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust

2004

as Self

The Education of Gore Vidal

2003

as Self

The Evolution of an American Filmmaker

2003

as Self

A Decade Under the Influence

2003

as Self

Inside 'Serpico'

2002

as Self

Serpico: From Real to Reel

2002

as Self

New York at the Movies

2002

as Self

The Tramp and the Dictator

2002

as Self (uncredited)

Dziga and His Brothers

2002

as Self

Revisiting 'Fail-Safe'

2000

as Self

Inside: 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'

2000

as Self - Director, 'Fail Safe'

Anthony Perkins: A Life in the Shadows

1999

as Self

Intimate Portrait: Sean Connery

1998

as Self

Fonda on Fonda

1992

as Self

Night of 100 Stars III

1990

as Self

William Holden: The Golden Boy

1989

as Self

Funny

1988

as Self

The Making of 'Tootsie'

1982

as Self

Wiz on Down the Road

1978

as Self - Director

The Sun... the Sand... the Hill

1965

as Self

The 400 Million

1939

as Additional Voice (voice)

Directing

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

2007

Director

Find Me Guilty

2006

Director

Rachel, When the Lord

2004

Director

Strip Search

2004

Director

Gloria

1999

Director

Critical Care

1997

Director

Night Falls on Manhattan

1997

Director

Guilty as Sin

1993

Director

A Stranger Among Us

1992

Director

Q & A

1990

Director

Family Business

1989

Director

Running on Empty

1988

Director

The Morning After

1986

Director

Power

1986

Director

Garbo Talks

1984

Director

Daniel

1983

Director

The Verdict

1982

Director

Deathtrap

1982

Director

Prince of the City

1981

Director

Just Tell Me What You Want

1980

Director

The Wiz

1978

Director

Equus

1977

Director

Network

1976

Director

Dog Day Afternoon

1975

Director

Murder on the Orient Express

1974

Director

Lovin' Molly

1974

Director

Serpico

1973

Director

The Offence

1973

Director

Child's Play

1972

Director

The Anderson Tapes

1971

Director

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

1970

Director

Last of the Mobile Hot Shots

1970

Director

The Appointment

1969

Director

The Sea Gull

1968

Director

Bye Bye Braverman

1968

Director

The Deadly Affair

1967

Director

The Group

1966

Director

The Hill

1965

Director

The Pawnbroker

1965

Director

Fail Safe

1964

Director

Long Day's Journey Into Night

1962

Director

A View from the Bridge

1962

Director

Play of the Week: Rashomon

1960

Director

The Iceman Cometh

1960

Director

John Brown's Raid

1960

Director

The Dybbuk

1960

Director

The Fugitive Kind

1960

Director

That Kind of Woman

1959

Director

All the King's Men

1958

Director

Stage Struck

1958

Director

Three Plays by Tennessee Williams

1958

Director

Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates

1958

Director

Mr. Broadway

1957

Director

12 Angry Men

1957

Director

Tragedy in a Temporary Town

1956

Director

The Challenge

1955

Director

Production

In Her Skin

2009

Consulting Producer

Critical Care

1997

Producer

Daniel

1983

Executive Producer

Just Tell Me What You Want

1980

Producer

Last of the Mobile Hot Shots

1970

Producer

The Sea Gull

1968

Producer

Bye Bye Braverman

1968

Producer

The Deadly Affair

1967

Producer

Fail Safe

1964

Executive Producer

Beyond the Time Barrier

1960

Casting Director

Mr. Broadway

1957

Producer

Sidney Lumet

Actor

Videos

Documentaries

Directing

Production

Writing