Rouben Mamoulian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rouben Mamoulian
Born	Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (1897-10-08)October 8, 1897 Tiflis, Russian Empire
Died	December 4, 1987(1987-12-04) (aged 90) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Citizenship	United States
Occupation	Director
Years active	1929–1963
Spouse(s)	Azadia Newman ​ (m. 1945)​

Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (pronounced roo-BEN mah-mool-YAHN; October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was a famous American film and theatre director. He was known for his creative ways of using cameras and sound in movies. He also directed many popular plays on Broadway.

Early Life and Start in Theatre

Rouben Mamoulian was born in Tiflis, which was part of the Russian Empire. His family was from Armenia. His mother, Virginia, was a theatre director. His father, Zachary, worked as a bank president.

In 1922, Mamoulian moved to England and began directing plays in London. The next year, he came to the United States. He taught at the Eastman School of Music and directed operas and plays there.

In 1925, Mamoulian led the School of Drama. He worked with a famous dancer named Martha Graham. Together, they made a short film called The Flute of Krishna. It featured students from Eastman. Rouben Mamoulian became a citizen of the United States in 1930. The child star Jackie Cooper said that Mamoulian was his uncle. This connection helped Jackie start his movie career.

Broadway Successes

Mamoulian began directing plays on Broadway in New York City. His first Broadway show was Porgy, which opened in 1927. He also directed Wings Over Europe.

In 1935, he directed the opera Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin. This show was very popular. Mamoulian also directed other famous Broadway musicals. These included Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945).

Innovative Film Career

Mamoulian directed his first movie, Applause, in 1929. This was one of the first movies with sound. He used new ways to move the camera and use sound. These ideas made his films special in the 1930s.

His movie Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) is often seen as the best version of that story. He also directed Queen Christina (1933) with Greta Garbo. These films were made before strict movie rules, called the "Hays Code," were fully in place. The musical film Love Me Tonight came out in 1932.

Mamoulian directed Becky Sharp (1935). This was the first movie made using a special color process called Technicolor. He also directed the musical High, Wide, and Handsome in 1937.

His next two films were very admired. They were The Mark of Zorro (1940) and Blood and Sand (1941). Both were new versions of older silent films. Blood and Sand was about bullfighting and used bright colors. These colors were inspired by Spanish artists like Diego Velázquez. In 1942, he directed the comedy Rings on Her Fingers. It starred Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney.

Mamoulian's last musical film was Silk Stockings in 1957. It starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.

Mamoulian was sometimes removed from films he was directing. This happened with Laura (1944), Porgy and Bess (1959), and Cleopatra (1963). After his successful stage musicals, he directed only a few more plays. One was St. Louis Woman, which introduced Pearl Bailey to Broadway.

Mamoulian in 1967

He helped create the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in 1936. His strong loyalty to the DGA and his refusal to compromise sometimes caused problems for him. He died on December 4, 1987, at the age of 90.

Directing Style

Rouben Mamoulian liked his movie scenes to look very artistic and poetic. He was more interested in creating a beautiful, stylized look than in showing everyday reality. You can see this in films like Becky Sharp and Blood and Sand. These movies used bright, artistic colors from Technicolor.

Legacy and Influence

Many people consider Mamoulian one of the most important filmmakers of his time. His movies were very influential in their genres.

On February 9, 1960, Rouben Mamoulian received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This honor recognized his contributions to movies.

His film The Mark of Zorro had a big impact on the character Batman. In the Batman stories, Bruce Wayne and his family watch this film before his parents are murdered. The movie inspired Batman's dark personality and mysterious identity. In Batman: The Animated Series, a character called Gray Ghost was also inspired by Mamoulian's Zorro.

The Sydney Film Festival in Australia has an award named after him. It's called the Rouben Mamoulian Award for the Best Director of an Australian Short Film.

Awards and Honors

• Hollywood Walk of Fame: On February 8, 1960, he received a star at 1709 Vine Street for his work in movies.
• American Theatre Hall of Fame: He was added to this hall of fame in 1981.
• Directors Guild of America: In 1982, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from this group.
• National Film Registry: In 2019, his film Becky Sharp was chosen by the Library of Congress. It was selected for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." This means it's an important film to save.

Filmography

Other Work

Studies and Biographies

• Rouben Mamoulian, by Tom Milne, published in 1969.
• Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen, by David Luhrssen, published in 2013.

See also

In Spanish: Rouben Mamoulian para niños