George Cukor Biography

George Cukor was an American film director known for films like ‘The Philadelphia Story’ and ‘Gaslight.’ Most famous for his comedies and literary adaptations, he established himself as a skilled director of sound films when Hollywood was making a transition from silent films to talkies. One of the top film directors of the 20th century, he had a long and productive career that spanned around five decades during which he won the Academy Award for Best Director once. The son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants to America, he became interested in acting at a young age. As a young boy, he appeared in several amateur plays and took dance lessons and his fascination with show business only increased with age. While he was in high school, he would often cut classes to attend afternoon matinees. His lawyer father expected him to follow in his footsteps but the creative and ambitious youngster had no intention of entering the legal profession. Instead he began working for theater companies and soon made his Broadway directorial debut with ‘Antonia.’ After a few years, he moved to Hollywood just as the talkies were making their emergence. Soon establishing himself as a reputed director of sound cinema, Cukor touched the peak of his career with ‘My Fair Lady’, which won him an Academy Award.