- published: 02 Feb 2008
- views: 20622
John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Seven Days in May (1964), The Train, (1964), Grand Prix (1966), Black Sunday (1977) and Ronin (1998).
He won four consecutive Emmy Awards in the 1990s for the television movies Against the Wall, The Burning Season, Andersonville, and George Wallace, which also received a Golden Globe award. He was considered one of the last remaining directors who insisted on having complete control over all elements of production, making his style unique in Hollywood.
His 30 feature films and over 50 plays for television were notable for their influence on contemporary thought. He became a pioneer of the "modern-day political thriller," having begun his career at the peak of the Cold War. Many of his films were noted for creating "psychological dilemmas" for his male protagonists along with having a strong "sense of environment," similar in style to films by director Sidney Lumet, for whom he had earlier worked as assistant director. He developed a "tremendous propensity for exploring political situations" which would ensnare his characters.
Actors: Natalie Wood (actress), Paul Chihara (composer), Andrew Robinson (actor), Mathieu Carrière (actor), Michael Ensign (actor), Frank Konigsberg (producer), Doris Day (actress), Diane Ladd (actress), Lawrence Dobkin (actor), Rock Hudson (actor), John F. Kennedy (actor), Martin Luther King (actor), William R. Moses (actor), Michael Neale (miscellaneous crew), Harry Arends (miscellaneous crew),
Plot: Biography of actor Rock Hudson focuses on his struggle with his homosexuality. Based on the book by his ex-wife, Phyllis Gates, and on the court records from the civil suit brought by his former lover, Marc Christian.
Keywords: actor, aids, character-name-in-title, closeted-homosexual, gay, gay-actor, gay-interest, gay-lead-character, homosexual, huggingActors: Brent Spiner (actor), G.D. Spradlin (actor), Maurice Marsac (actor), Matthew Faison (actor), George Grizzard (actor), Mitch Ryan (actor), Joe Pantoliano (actor), Bruce French (actor), Pat Corley (actor), Jason Bateman (actor), Ned Beatty (actor), Walter Gotell (actor), Cliff De Young (actor), Jack Warden (actor), Jeffrey Tambor (actor),
Plot: A personal portrait of one of the most controversial men of this century and the turbulent times in which he lived. An entire era, including the fight for civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the American entry into Vietnam, and the eventual protest against it, was shaped by Bobby Kennedy.
Keywords: american-president, based-on-book, campaign, fbi-chief, kennedy-family, political-primary, president, tv-mini-series, u.s.-president