Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his name, including 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982), all of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.

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.[2] 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, and New York-based black comedies. 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. For being one of the most reliable and dependable directors of the last half-century, in 2005 he received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his "brilliant services to screenwriters, performers, and the art of the motion picture." Two years later, Lumet concluded his career with the acclaimed drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007).

Sidney Lumet Filmography

1957: 12 Angry Men (Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb)
1958: Stage Struck (Henry Fonda, Susan Strasberg)
1959: That Kind of Woman (Sophia Loren, Tab Hunter)
1959: The Fugitive Kind (Marlon Brando, Joanne Woodward, Anna Magnani)
1961: A View from the Bridge (Raf Vallone, Jean Sorel)
1962: Long Day's Journey Into Night (Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards)
1964: The Pawnbroker (Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald)
1964: Fail-Safe (Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau)
1965: The Hill (Sean Connery, Harry Andrews)
1966: The Group (Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett)
1967: The Deadly Affair (James Mason, Harry Andrews)
1968: Bye Bye Braverman (George Segal, Jack Warden)
1968: The Sea Gull (Vanessa Redgrave, Simone Signoret)
1969: The Appointment (Omar Sharif, Anouk Aimée)
1970: King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (Paul Newman (narration), Joanne Woodward (narration))
1970: Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (Lynn Redgrave, James Coburn)
1971: The Anderson Tapes (Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam)
1972: Child's Play (James Mason, Robert Preston)
1972: The Offence (Sean Connery, Ian Bannen, Trevor Howard)
1973: Serpico (Al Pacino)
1974: Lovin' Molly (Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges) 1974 Murder on the Orient Express )Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman
1975: Dog Day Afternoon Al Pacino, John Cazale)
1976: Network (Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty)
1977: Equus (Richard Burton)
1978: The Wiz (Diana Ross, Michael Jackson)
1980: Just Tell Me What You Want (Alan King, Ali MacGraw)
1981: Prince of the City (Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach)
1982: Deathtrap (Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon)
1982: The Verdict (Paul Newman, Jack Warden)
1983: Daniel Timothy Hutton, Mandy Patinkin
1984: Garbo Talks (Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver)
1986: Power (Richard Gere, Julie Christie, Gene Hackman)
1986: The Morning After (Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges)
1988: Running on Empty (River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch)
1989: Family Business (Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman)
1990: Q & A (Timothy Hutton, Nick Nolte, Armand Assante)
1992: A Stranger Among Us (Melanie Griffith, John Pankow)
1993: Guilty as Sin (Don Johnson, Rebecca De Mornay)
1997: Night Falls on Manhattan (Andy García, Ian Holm, Lena Olin, Richard Dreyfuss)
1997: Critical Care (James Spader, Kyra Sedgwick)
1999: Gloria (Sharon Stone, George C. Scott)
2004: Strip Search (Glenn Close, Maggie Gyllenhaal)
2006: Find Me Guilty (Vin Diesel, Alex Rocco)
2007: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney)

From Sidney Lumet profile on Wikipedia.