John Ford

Biography

John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His four Academy Awards for Best Director (1935, 1940, 1941, 1952) is a record, and one of those films, How Green Was My Valley (1941), also won Best Picture. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ford directed more than 140 films (although nearly all of his silent films are now lost) and he is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. Ford's films and personality were held in high regard by his colleagues, with Ingmar Bergman and Orson Welles among those who have named him as one of the greatest directors of all time. In particular, Ford was a pioneer of location shooting and the long shot which frames his characters against a vast, harsh and rugged natural terrain.

Known For

The Birth of a Nation

as Klansman

The Horse Soldiers

as Ned (uncredited)

Five Came Back

as Self (archive footage)

Directed by John Ford

as Self (uncredited)

Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines

as J.P. Baldwin

Spanish Western

as Self (archive footage)

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

as Self (archive footage)

The American West of John Ford

as Self

John Ford: The Man Who Invented America

as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

Shooting War

as himself