Don Siegel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Donald Siegel
Siegel in 1968
Born	(1912-10-26)October 26, 1912 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 20, 1991(1991-04-20) (aged 78) Nipomo, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film and television director and producer
Years active	1939−1984
Spouse(s)	Viveca Lindfors ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1953)​ Doe Avedon ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1975)​ Carol Rydall ​ ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	5, including Kristoffer Tabori

Donald Siegel (October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. He was known for making exciting action and adventure movies. His films often focused on strong, independent characters.

Siegel directed the famous science-fiction horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). He also worked with actor Clint Eastwood on five movies. These included the police thriller Dirty Harry (1971) and the prison drama Escape from Alcatraz (1979). He also directed John Wayne's very last movie, the Western The Shootist (1976).

Early Life

Donald Siegel was born in Chicago in 1912. His family was Jewish, and his father played the mandolin. Donald went to school in New York. Later, he studied at Jesus College, Cambridge, in England.

He also spent a short time studying art in Paris. When he was 20, he moved to Los Angeles. This is where he started his career in movies.

Career in Film and TV

Siegel began working at Warner Bros., a big movie studio. He started in the film library. He later became the head of the Montage Department. A montage is a series of short clips put together. He directed thousands of these, including the opening part of the classic movie Casablanca.

In 1945, two short films he directed won Academy Awards. These were Star in the Night and Hitler Lives. Winning these awards helped him become a director for full-length movies.

Siegel was known for making great movies even with small budgets. He could make interesting films from any script he was given. One of his most famous movies is the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). This science-fiction film is still considered a classic today.

He also directed two episodes of the popular TV show The Twilight Zone. These were "Uncle Simon" (1963) and "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" (1964). He also produced the TV series The Legend of Jesse James (1965).

Siegel worked with many famous actors. He directed Eli Wallach in The Lineup. He also directed Elvis Presley in Flaming Star (1960). Other stars he worked with include Steve McQueen in Hell Is for Heroes and Lee Marvin in The Killers (1964).

His most successful partnership was with Clint Eastwood. They made five movies together. These included the action films Coogan's Bluff and Dirty Harry. They also made the Western Two Mules for Sister Sara. Other films were the drama The Beguiled and the prison escape movie Escape from Alcatraz. Siegel greatly influenced Eastwood, who later became a director himself. Eastwood's film Unforgiven is dedicated to Donald Siegel.

Siegel often worked with the composer Lalo Schifrin. Schifrin created the music for five of Siegel's films. These included Coogan's Bluff, The Beguiled, and Dirty Harry.

Donald Siegel also helped the career of director Sam Peckinpah. In 1954, Peckinpah worked as an assistant on Siegel's film Riot in Cell Block 11. This movie was filmed inside a real prison. Siegel's way of working on location made a big impression on Peckinpah. Years later, when Peckinpah was having trouble finding work, Siegel gave him a chance. He asked Peckinpah to help direct parts of his last film, Jinxed! (1982). This help led to Peckinpah directing his own final movie.

Movie Appearances

Donald Siegel sometimes appeared in small roles in the movies he directed. He played a bartender in Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me. He also had a small role in his own film Dirty Harry.

In the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, he appeared as a taxi driver. He also had a cameo as a ping-pong player in Charley Varrick. His last appearance was in the 1985 film Into the Night.

Personal Life and Death

Donald Siegel was married three times. From 1948 to 1953, he was married to actress Viveca Lindfors. They had one son, Kristoffer Tabori. He then married Doe Avedon in 1957. They adopted four children together before divorcing in 1975. His last marriage was to Carol Rydall. She used to be Clint Eastwood's secretary.

Donald Siegel died from cancer in Nipomo, California, in 1991. He was 78 years old. He is buried near Highway 1 in the Cayucos-Morro Bay District Cemetery.

Filmography

Images for kids

• 

  A friendly robot

See also

In Spanish: Don Siegel para niños