Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to directing television in 1950, and then directing films from 1957, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York dramas that focused on the working class, tackled social injustices, and often questioned authority. He received various accolades including an Academy Honorary Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for nine British Academy Film Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.
He was nominated five times for Academy Awards: four for Best Director for the legal drama 12 Angry Men (1957), the crime drama Dog Day Afternoon (1975), the satirical drama Network (1976) and the legal thriller The Verdict (1982), and won for Best Adapted Screenplay for Prince of the City (1981). Other films include A View from the Bridge (1962), Long Day's Journey into Night (1962), The Pawnbroker (1964), Fail Safe (1964), The Hill (1965), Serpico (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Equus (1977), The Wiz (1978), The Morning After (1986), Running on Empty (1988) and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007). He received the Academy Honorary Award in 2004.
A member of the inaugural class at New York's Actors Studio, Lumet started acting Off-Broadway and made his Broadway acting debut in the 1935 play Dead End. He went on to direct the Broadway plays Night of the Auk (1956), Caligula (1960) and Nowhere to Go But Up (1962). Lumet is also known for his work on television. He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series nomination for NBC Sunday Showcase (1961). He also directed for Goodyear Television Playhouse, Kraft Television Theatre and Playhouse 90.
Life and career
Early years
thumb|upright|Lumet as a child, photographed by [[Carl Van Vechten]]
thumb|upright|Lumet in the 1940 play [[Journey to Jerusalem (play)|Journey to Jerusalem]]
Lumet was born in Philadelphia and grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He studied theater acting at the Professional Children's School of New York and Columbia University.
Lumet's parents, Baruch and Eugenia (née Wermus) Lumet, were Jewish and veterans of the Yiddish theatre; they had immigrated to the United States from Poland. His father, an actor, director, producer and writer, was born in Warsaw. Lumet's mother, who was a dancer, died when he was a child. He had an older sister. Lumet made his professional debut on the radio at age four and his stage debut at the Yiddish Art Theatre at age five. As a child, he also appeared in many Broadway productions, In 1939, at age 15, he made his only feature-length film appearance in ...One Third of a Nation....
World War II interrupted Lumet's early acting career and he spent four years in the U.S. Army. After returning from service as a radar repairman stationed in India and Burma (1942–1946), he became involved with the Actors Studio, then formed his own theater workshop. He organized an Off-Broadway group and became its director, and continued directing in summer stock theatre while teaching acting at the High School of Performing Arts.
He also directed original plays for Playhouse 90, Kraft Television Theatre and Studio One, directing approximately 200 episodes, which established him as "one of the most prolific and respected directors in the business", according to Turner Classic Movies. His ability to work quickly while shooting carried over to his film career.
A controversial TV show that he directed in 1960 gained some notoriety: Sacco-Vanzetti Story on NBC. According to The New York Times, the drama drew flack from the state of Massachusetts (where Sacco and Vanzetti were tried and executed) because it was thought to postulate that the condemned murderers were, in fact, wholly innocent. However, the resulting controversy did Lumet more good than harm, sending several prestigious film assignments his way.
He began adapting classic plays for both film and television, directing Marlon Brando, Joanne Woodward and Anna Magnani in the feature film The Fugitive Kind (1959), based on the Tennessee Williams play Orpheus Descending. He directed a live television version of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, which was followed by his film A View from the Bridge (1962), another psychological drama, from the play written by Arthur Miller. This was followed by another Eugene O'Neill play-turned-to-cinema, Long Day's Journey into Night (1962), with Katharine Hepburn earning an Oscar nomination for her performance as a drug-addicted housewife; the four principal actors swept the acting awards at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
Directing style and subjects
Realism and energetic style
Film critic Owen Gleiberman observed that Lumet was a "hardboiled straight-shooter" who, because he was trained during the Golden Age of Television in the 1950s, became noted for his energetic style of directing. The words, "Sidney Lumet" and "energy", he added, became synonymous. "The energy was there in the quietest moments. It was an inner energy, a hum of existence that Lumet observed in people and brought out in them...[when he] went into the New York streets...he made them electric." He also wrote:
Critic Justin Chang adds that Lumet's skill as a director and in developing strong stories continued up to his last film in 2007, writing of his "nimble touch with performers, his ability to draw out great warmth and zesty humor with one hand and coax them toward ever darker, more anguished extremes of emotion with the other, was on gratifying display in his ironically titled final film, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead".
Vision of future films
In an interview with New York magazine, Lumet said that he expects to see more directors from different ethnic backgrounds and communities telling their stories. "You know, I started out making films about Jews and Italians and Irish because I didn't know anything else."
Works
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|+Directed features
!Year
!Film
!Distributor
|-
| 1957 || 12 Angry Men || United Artists
|-
| 1958 || Stage Struck || RKO Pictures
|-
| 1959 || That Kind of Woman || Paramount Pictures
|-
| 1960 || The Fugitive Kind|| United Artists
|-
|rowspan=2| 1962 || A View from the Bridge || Continental Film
|-
| Long Day's Journey into Night || Embassy Pictures
|-
|rowspan=2| 1964 || The Pawnbroker || Paramount Pictures
|-
| Fail Safe || Columbia Pictures
|-
| 1965 || The Hill || Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
|-
| 1966 || The Group || United Artists
|-
| 1967 || The Deadly Affair || Columbia Pictures
|-
|rowspan=2| 1968 || Bye Bye Braverman || rowspan=2|Warner Bros.
|-
| The Sea Gull
|-
| 1969 || The Appointment || Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
|-
| 1970 || Last of the Mobile Hot Shots || Warner Bros.
|-
| 1971 || The Anderson Tapes || Columbia Pictures
|-
| 1972 || Child's Play || Paramount Pictures
|-
|rowspan=2| 1973 || The Offence || United Artists
|-
| Serpico || Paramount Pictures
|-
|rowspan=2| 1974 || Lovin' Molly || Columbia Pictures
|-
| Murder on the Orient Express || Paramount Pictures
|-
| 1975 || Dog Day Afternoon || Warner Bros.
|-
| 1976 || Network || Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists
|-
| 1977 || Equus || United Artists
|-
| 1978 || The Wiz || Universal Pictures
|-
| 1980 || Just Tell Me What You Want|| Warner Bros.
|-
| 1981 || Prince of the City|| Warner Bros. / Orion Pictures
|-
| rowspan=2| 1982 || Deathtrap || Warner Bros.
|-
| The Verdict|| 20th Century Fox
|-
| 1983 || Daniel || Paramount Pictures
|-
| 1984 || Garbo Talks || Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
|-
|rowspan=2| 1986 || Power || rowspan=2|20th Century Fox
|-
| The Morning After
|-
| 1988 || Running on Empty || Warner Bros.
|-
| 1989 || Family Business || rowspan=2|Tri-Star Pictures
|-
| 1990 || Q&A
|-
| 1992 || A Stranger Among Us|| rowspan=2|Buena Vista Pictures
|-
| 1993 || Guilty as Sin
|-
| 1996 || Night Falls on Manhattan || Paramount Pictures
|-
| 1997 || Critical Care|| LIVE Entertainment
|-
| 1999 || Gloria || Columbia Pictures
|-
| 2006 || Find Me Guilty || Freestyle Releasing
|-
| 2007 || Before the Devil Knows You're Dead || ThinkFilm
|}
Bibliography
Personal life and death
thumb|Lumet at the [[2007 Toronto International Film Festival]]
Lumet was married four times; the first three marriages ended in divorce. He was married to actress Rita Gam from 1949 to 1955; as well as co-creating two television series with Alex Kurtzman: The Silence of the Lambs sequel Clarice and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Lumet died from lymphoma at age 86 on April 9, 2011, in his residence in Manhattan. A few months after Lumet's death, a retrospective celebration of his work was held at New York's Lincoln Center with numerous speakers and film stars. In 2015, Nancy Buirski directed By Sidney Lumet, a documentary about his career that aired in January 2017 as part of PBS's American Masters series.
Reputation and legacy
According to film historian Stephen Bowles, Lumet succeeded in becoming a leading drama filmmaker partly because "his most important criterion [when directing] is not whether the actions of his protagonists are right or wrong, but whether their actions are genuine". And where those actions are "justified by the individual's conscience, this gives his heroes uncommon strength and courage to endure the pressures, abuses, and injustices of others". His films have thereby continually given us the "quintessential hero acting in defiance of peer group authority and asserting his own code of moral values". Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert described him as "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's published memoir about his life in film, Making Movies (1996), is "extremely lighthearted and infectious in its enthusiasm for the craft of moviemaking itself", writes Bowles, "and is in marked contrast to the tone and style of most of his films. Perhaps Lumet's signature as a director is his work with actors – and his exceptional ability to draw high-quality, sometimes extraordinary performances from even the most unexpected quarters." and to some, like Ali MacGraw, he was considered "every actor's dream".
In the belief that Lumet's "compelling stories and unforgettable performances were his strong suit", director and producer Steven Spielberg described Lumet as "one of the greatest directors in the long history of film". Al Pacino, on hearing of Lumet's death, stated that with his films, "He leaves a great legacy, but more than that, to the people close to him, he will remain the most civilized of humans and the kindest man I have ever known." Following his death, fellow New York directors Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese both paid tribute to Lumet. Allen called him the "quintessential New York film-maker", while Scorsese said that "our vision of the city has been enhanced and deepened by classics like Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and, above all, the remarkable Prince of the City". Lumet also drew praise from New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who called him "one of the great chroniclers of our city".
A few months after Lumet's death in April 2011, TV commentator Lawrence O'Donnell aired a tribute to Lumet, and a retrospective celebration of his work was held at New York's Lincoln Center, with the appearance of numerous speakers and film stars.
Awards and honors
Lumet has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following films:
- 30th Academy Awards (1957): Best Director, nomination, 12 Angry Men
- 48th Academy Awards (1975): Best Director, nomination, Dog Day Afternoon
- 49th Academy Awards (1976): Best Director, nomination, Network
- 54th Academy Awards (1981): Best Adapted Screenplay, nomination, Prince of the City
- 55th Academy Awards (1982): Best Director, nomination, The Verdict
- 77th Academy Awards (2004): Honorary Academy Award, win
Lumet has also received the Berlin International Film Festival's Golden Bear for 12 Angry Men. He received four nominations for the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or for the films Long Day's Journey into Night (1962), The Hill (1965), The Appointment (1969) and A Stranger Among Us (1992). He also received a Venice Film Festival Golden Lion award nomination for Prince of the City (1981).
{| class="wikitable"
|+Awards and nominations received by Lumet's films
|-
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Title
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" width=160| Academy Awards
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" width=160| BAFTA Awards
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" width=160| Golden Globe Awards
|-
! Nominations
! Wins
! Nominations
! Wins
! Nominations
! Wins
|-
| 1957
| 12 Angry Men
| align=center|3
| align=center|
| align=center|2
| align=center|1
| align=center|4
| align=center|
|-
| 1962
| Long Day's Journey into Night
| align=center|1
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|1
| align=center|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1964
| The Pawnbroker
| align=center|1
| align=center|
| align=center|2
| align=center|1
| align=center|1
| align=center|
|-
| Fail Safe
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|1
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|
|-
| 1965
| The Hill
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|6
| align=center|1
| align=center|
| align=center|
|-
| 1966
| The Group
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|1
| align=center|
| align=center|1
| align=center|
|-
| 1967
| The Deadly Affair
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|5
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|
|-
| 1970
| King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
| align=center|1
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1973
| The Offence
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|1
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|
|-
| Serpico
| align=center|2
| align=center|
| align=center|3
| align=center|
| align=center|2
| align=center|1
|-
| 1974
| Murder on the Orient Express
| align=center|6
| align=center|1
| align=center|10
| align=center|3
| align=center|
| align=center|
|-
| 1975
| Dog Day Afternoon
| align=center|6
| align=center|1
| align=center|6
| align=center|2
| align=center|7
| align=center|
|-
| 1976
| Network
| align=center|10
| align=center|4
| align=center|9
| align=center|1
| align=center|5
| align=center|4
|-
| 1977
| Equus
| align=center|3
|
| align=center|5
| align=center|1
| align=center|2
| align=center|2
|-
| 1978
| The Wiz
| align=center|4
|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|2
| align=center|
|-
| 1981
| Prince of the City
| align=center|1
|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|3
| align=center|
|-
| 1982
| The Verdict
| align=center|5
|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|5
| align=center|
|-
| 1984
| Garbo Talks
| align=center|
|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|1
| align=center|
|-
| 1986
| The Morning After
| align=center|1
|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|3
| align=center|
|-
| 1988
| Running on Empty
| align=center|2
|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|5
| align=center|1
|-
| 1990
| Q&A
| align=center|
|
| align=center|
| align=center|
| align=center|1
| align=center|
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!align=center|46
!align=center|6
!align=center|56
!align=center|11
!align=center|43
!align=center|10
|}
Directed Academy Award performances by actors
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background-color:#dadeef"| Year
! style="background-color:#dadeef"| Performer
! style="background-color:#dadeef"| Film
! style="background-color:#dadeef"| Result
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DEDAFE; text-align:center;"| Academy Award for Best Actor
|-
| 1965
| Rod Steiger
| The Pawnbroker
|
|-
| 1974
| Al Pacino
| Serpico
|
|-
| 1975
| Albert Finney
| Murder on the Orient Express
|
|-
| 1976
| Al Pacino
| Dog Day Afternoon
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1977
| Peter Finch
| rowspan="2"| Network
| †
|-
| William Holden
|
|-
| 1978
| Richard Burton
| Equus
|
|-
| 1983
| Paul Newman
| The Verdict
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DEDAFE; text-align:center;"| Academy Award for Best Actress
|-
| 1963
| Katharine Hepburn
| Long Day's Journey into Night
|
|-
| 1977
| Faye Dunaway
| Network
|
|-
| 1987
| Jane Fonda
| The Morning After
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DEDAFE; text-align:center;"| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
|-
| 1976
| Chris Sarandon
| Dog Day Afternoon
|
|-
| 1977
| Ned Beatty
| Network
|
|-
| 1978
| Peter Firth
| Equus
|
|-
| 1983
| James Mason
| The Verdict
|
|-
| 1989
| River Phoenix
| Running on Empty
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DEDAFE; text-align:center;"| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
|-
| 1975
| Ingrid Bergman
| Murder on the Orient Express
|
|-
| 1977
| Beatrice Straight
| Network
|
|-
|}
See also
- List of Jewish Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of Golden Globe winners
References
External links
Metadata
- Sidney Lumet - catalog.afi.com
- Sidney Lumet - tcmdb
Interviews
- Archive of American Television, TV Legends interview, 1999 video, 6-parts, 3 hours
- Fresh Air interview from 2006 (audio)
- "Last Word" New York Times April 21, 2011, video (14 minutes)
- A Conversation with Director Sidney Lumet and Writer Tom Fontana at The Forum on Law, Culture & Society, Fordham University School of Law via: vimeo
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Sidney Lumet and Tom Fontana at Symphony Space
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