Billy Wilder (I) (1906–2002)

Writer | Director | Producer

Originally planning to become a lawyer, Billy Wilder abandoned that career in favor of working as a...

Born: June 22, 1906
Died: March 27, 2002 (age 95)

Photos

Filmography

Known For

The Apartment Writer (1960)
Some Like It Hot Writer (1959)
Sabrina Writer (1954)
Known For

Sunset Blvd. Writer (1950)
Writer

La Garçonnière (2018)
Love, Marilyn (2012)
A Little Anecdote (2008)
Sabrina (1995)
Witness for the Prosecution (1982)
Buddy Buddy (1981)
Fedora (1978)
The Front Page (1974)
Double Indemnity (1973)
Avanti! (1972)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
Casino Royale (1967)
The Fortune Cookie (1966)
Ates gibi kadin (1965)
Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)
Irma la Douce (1963)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
One, Two, Three (1961)
Ocean's 11 (1960)
The Apartment (1960)
Ninotchka (1960)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
Robert Montgomery Presents (1956)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Lux Video Theatre (1954-1955)
Emil und die Detektive (1954)
Sabrina (1954)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Ace in the Hole (1951)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
The Unexpected Voyager (1950)
A Song Is Born (1948)
A Foreign Affair (1948)
The Emperor Waltz (1948)
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
The Major and the Minor (1942)
Tales of Manhattan (1942)
Ball of Fire (1941)
Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
Arise, My Love (1940)
Rhythm on the River (1940)
French Without Tears (1940)
Ninotchka (1939)
What a Life (1939)
Midnight (1939)
That Certain Age (1938)
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
Champagne Waltz (1937)
Lottery Lover (1935)
Emil and the Detectives (1935)
Under Pressure (1935)
Music in the Air (1934)
One Exciting Adventure (1934)
Bad Seed (1934)
Adorable (1933)
Was Frauen träumen (1933)
No Children Wanted (1933)
Madame Wants No Children (1933)
Un peu d'amour (1932)
The Blue from the Sky (1932)
Where Is This Lady? (1932)
A Girl of the Street (1932)
Un rêve blond (1932)
A Blonde Dream (1932)
A Blonde Dream (1932)
Once There Was a Waltz (1932)
Liebe ist Liebe (1932)
Emil and the Detectives (1931)
Her Highness Commands (1931)
The Wrong Husband (1931)
Seitensprünge (1931)
Her Grace Commands (1931)
Looking for His Murderer (1931)
Ein Burschenlied aus Heidelberg (1930)
Der Kampf mit dem Drachen oder: Die Tragödie des Untermieters (1930)
People on Sunday (1930)
Writer

Hell of a Reporter (1929)
Director

Buddy Buddy (1981)
Fedora (1978)
The Front Page (1974)
Avanti! (1972)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
The Fortune Cookie (1966)
Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)
Irma la Douce (1963)
One, Two, Three (1961)
The Apartment (1960)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Sabrina (1954)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Ace in the Hole (1951)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
A Foreign Affair (1948)
The Emperor Waltz (1948)
Death Mills (1945)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
The Major and the Minor (1942)
Director

Bad Seed (1934)
Producer

Fedora (1978)
Avanti! (1972)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
The Fortune Cookie (1966)
Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)
Irma la Douce (1963)
One, Two, Three (1961)
The Apartment (1960)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Sabrina (1954)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Producer

Ace in the Hole (1951)
Actor

The Ed Sullivan Show Cameo Appearance (1960)
Actor

Hell of a Reporter (1929)
Soundtrack

Looking for His Murderer (1931)
Archive footage

Du sollst nicht langweilen: Billy Wilder (2017)
Die Öscars (2016)
Once in a Lew Moon (2015)
Oh du mein Österreich (2015)
From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses (2014)
Night Will Fall (2014)
And the Oscar Goes To... (2014)
Swan Song: The Story of Billy Wilder's Fedora (2014)
Arena (2012)
Love, Marilyn (2012)
Stars of the Silver Screen (2011)
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2010)
Gilles Jacob: CIitizen Cannes (2010)
Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood (2009)
Il falso bugiardo (2008)
Il était une fois... (2008)
Helmut by June (2007)
Poison d'avril (2007)
The Making of 'Some Like It Hot' (2006)
Ciclo Agatha Christie (2006)
The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003)
RIP 2002 (2002)
Sendung ohne Namen (2002)
Histoires de festival (2002)
Nobody's Perfect - The Making of Some Like It Hot (2001)
Klaus Kinski - Ich bin kein Schauspieler (2000)
Century of Cinema (1995)
Archive footage

The Legend of Marilyn Monroe (1965)
The Cinematographer (1951)
Additional Crew

Sabrina (1995)
Parade, or Here They Come Down Our Street (1952)
Editorial Department

Death Mills (1945)

Videos

Awards

Did You Know

At least three of his films have been made into Broadway musicals. The Apartment (1960) was the basis for "Promises, Promises" in 1968. Some Like It Hot (1959) was the basis for "Sugar" in 1973. And Sunset Blvd. (1950) was adapted into a musical by ...

Quotes

People copy, people steal. Most of the pictures they make nowadays are loaded down with special effects. I couldn't do that. I quit smoking because I couldn't reload my Zippo.