George Cukor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Cukor
Cukor in 1946
Born	George Dewey Cukor (1899-07-07)July 7, 1899 New York City, U.S.
Died	January 24, 1983(1983-01-24) (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Occupation	Film director film producer
Years active	1930–1981
Awards	Academy Award for Best Director 1965 My Fair Lady Golden Globe Award for Best Director 1965 My Fair Lady

George Dewey Cukor (born July 7, 1899 – died January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He was famous for directing comedies and movies based on books. His career took off at RKO where he directed major films like What Price Hollywood? (1932) and Little Women (1933).

Later, he moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed Dinner at Eight (1933) and David Copperfield (1935). He also directed Romeo and Juliet (1936) and Camille (1936). He was replaced as a director for Gone with the Wind (1939). However, he went on to direct many other successful movies. These include The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), and Adam's Rib (1949). He also directed Born Yesterday (1950) and A Star Is Born (1954). George Cukor won an Academy Award for Best Director for My Fair Lady (1964). He continued making films until the 1980s.

Early Life and Interest in Theater

George Cukor was born in New York City on July 7, 1899. His parents were immigrants from Hungary. His middle name, Dewey, was chosen to honor a hero from the Spanish–American War.

As a child, George loved performing. He acted in plays and took dance lessons. When he was seven, he even performed with David O. Selznick, who would later become a good friend and mentor. As a teenager, Cukor often visited the New York Hippodrome, a famous theater. He loved the theater so much that he sometimes skipped school to watch afternoon shows. During his last year of high school, he worked at the Metropolitan Opera. He earned a small amount of money for each appearance.

After graduating in 1917, Cukor was expected to become a lawyer, like his father. He briefly attended the City College of New York. In October 1918, he joined the Students Army Training Corps. However, his military service was short. Germany surrendered in November, and Cukor's duty ended after only two months. He then left college.

Starting a Career in Film

From Stage to Screen

Bette Davis, aged 23, worked with Cukor early in her career.

George Cukor first worked as an assistant stage manager for a touring play. In 1920, he became a stage manager for a theater group called the Knickerbocker Players. The next year, he managed the Lyceum Players, a summer theater company. In 1925, he started his own production company, which gave him his first chance to direct plays. He directed a play on Broadway, a famous theater district in New York City.

He then returned to Rochester, New York, where his company became the Cukor-Kondolf Stock Company. Many actors who later worked with Cukor in Hollywood were part of this group. One of them was Bette Davis. Cukor noticed her talent but also that she liked to do things her own way. Davis later claimed she was fired, though Cukor thought it was a small matter. They never worked together again.

For several years, Cukor directed plays in Rochester during the summer and on Broadway in the winter. His direction of The Great Gatsby in 1926 caught the attention of critics. One critic praised his "unusual piece of work." After directing six more Broadway shows, Cukor moved to Hollywood in 1929.

Early Hollywood Work

Hollywood began hiring theater talent for new "talkie" films (movies with sound). Cukor was one of them. In December 1928, Paramount Pictures hired him. His first job was to help actors speak with a Southern accent for a film. In 1930, he helped with screen tests and dialogue for All Quiet on the Western Front. That year, he co-directed three films at Paramount. His first movie as a solo director was Tarnished Lady (1931).

Cukor then worked on One Hour with You (1932). He started directing it, but the original director, Ernst Lubitsch, returned and took over. Cukor eventually left Paramount and joined David O. Selznick at RKO Studios.

A scene from Cukor's famous film The Philadelphia Story.

Cukor quickly became known for helping actresses give amazing performances. He was sometimes called a "woman's director," a title he didn't like. Even so, he directed more actors who won the Academy Award for Best Actor than any other director. These included James Stewart in The Philadelphia Story (1940), Ronald Colman in A Double Life (1947), and Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (1964).

One of the actresses Cukor worked with early on was Katharine Hepburn. She made her debut in A Bill of Divorcement (1932). Cukor directed her in several films, some very successful like Little Women (1933) and Holiday (1938). Cukor and Hepburn became close friends.

Working on Famous Films

In 1936, Selznick hired Cukor to direct Gone with the Wind. Cukor spent two years preparing for the film, including supervising screen tests for actresses wanting to play Scarlett O'Hara. Cukor liked Katharine Hepburn for the role, but Selznick was worried about her popularity. Cukor preferred Paulette Goddard among those who auditioned.

While working on Gone with the Wind, Cukor also helped with other movies. He filmed a scene for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938). He also spent a week on the set of The Wizard of Oz (1939). Although he didn't film any scenes, he made important changes. He removed Judy Garland's blonde wig and adjusted her makeup to make her look more natural as Dorothy. He also changed the Scarecrow's makeup and the Wicked Witch's hairstyle and makeup. Cukor also suggested casting Jack Haley as the Tin Man.

David O. Selznick, a producer who worked closely with Cukor.

Cukor spent many hours coaching Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland for Gone with the Wind. However, Clark Gable did not want to learn a Southern accent. Selznick became unhappy with Cukor's progress and replaced him with Victor Fleming. Even after being replaced, Cukor continued to help Leigh and de Havilland off-set.

Being dismissed from Gone with the Wind allowed Cukor to direct The Women (1939), a film with an all-female cast. He then directed The Philadelphia Story (1940). He also directed Greta Garbo in Two-Faced Woman (1941), which was her last film before she stopped acting.

Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas in "Two-Faced Woman" (1941).

In 1942, Cukor joined the Signal Corps during World War II. He produced training films for the army. He found it difficult to give orders because he was not an officer. Despite his efforts, he remained a private.

The rest of the 1940s brought both hits and misses for Cukor. Two-Faced Woman and Her Cardboard Lover (1942) were not very successful. However, A Woman's Face (1941) with Joan Crawford and Gaslight (1944) with Ingrid Bergman were very popular. During this time, Cukor often worked with screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon. They collaborated on several films, including A Double Life (1947) and Adam's Rib (1949). They also made Born Yesterday (1950), which earned Judy Holliday, another favorite actress of Cukor's, an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Later Career and Achievements

Directing Musicals and Challenges

Judy Garland, the star of A Star Is Born.

In 1952, Cukor was asked to direct a musical remake of A Star Is Born (1937) starring Judy Garland. He had turned down the earlier film, but the chance to direct his first film in Technicolor and work with Garland appealed to him. Getting A Star Is Born (1954) made was difficult. Cukor wanted Cary Grant for the male lead, but Grant refused. The director then suggested Humphrey Bogart or Frank Sinatra, but the studio said no. James Mason was eventually cast.

Filming began in October 1953. Cukor had to deal with constant script changes and an unstable Judy Garland, who had many health issues. When the film was almost finished, Cukor left the production. The first version of the film was very long, but audiences loved it. However, studio executives cut the film to make it shorter, which Cukor found "very painful." He was not nominated for an Oscar for this film.

Cukor rehearsing with Lee Remick in 1962.

Over the next ten years, Cukor directed several films. Les Girls (1957) won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Wild Is the Wind (1957) earned Oscar nominations for its actors. However, Heller in Pink Tights (1960) was not a success.

Another project during this time was Something's Got to Give, a remake of an older comedy. Cukor liked the lead actress, Marilyn Monroe, but found it hard to work with her because she was often late or absent. The studio eventually fired Monroe, and the film was stopped.

Two years later, Cukor achieved one of his biggest successes with My Fair Lady (1964). He loved working with the lead actress, Audrey Hepburn. Although some critics were not impressed, the film was a huge box-office hit. It won him the Academy Award for Best Director, the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and the Directors Guild of America Award.

Later Years and Legacy

After My Fair Lady, Cukor directed fewer films. He directed Maggie Smith in Travels with My Aunt (1972). He also directed The Blue Bird (1976), which was the first film made together by the Soviet Union and America. He worked with Katharine Hepburn again for two television movies: Love Among the Ruins (1975) and The Corn Is Green (1979). At 82 years old, Cukor directed his final film, Rich and Famous (1981).

In 1970, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. In 1976, he was given the George Eastman Award for his important contributions to film.

George Cukor passed away from a heart attack on January 24, 1983. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) in California.

In 1983, a longer version of A Star Is Born was restored to its original length. Cukor had felt that the shorter version "butchered" the story. In 2013, a film festival in New York showed many of his films. In 2019, Cukor's film Gaslight was chosen by the Library of Congress to be saved in the National Film Registry. This means it is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Filmography

Films Directed by George Cukor

Other Film Contributions

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Cukor at home in 1973

See also

In Spanish: George Cukor para niños