ALFRED HITCHCOCK BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13th, 1899 in Leytonstone, London in England with the birth name Alfred Joseph Hitchcock born to parents, William and Emma Hitchcock. When he first began working he found employment as an estimator for the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company and it was around this time in his life that he began to develop an interest in the film industry.
It was in 1920 that he applied for a position as a title manager for a company called Lasky who were opening up a studio in London. He got the job and for the next two years he remained employed with them. In 1923, he was given the opportunity to finish directing the film called, "Always Tell Your Wife" (1923) when the original director became ill.
Hitchcock proved that he was capable of directing and therefore he was given the chance to direct a film called, "Number 13" (1922), but it never released due to the studio closing its doors. However, due to the years of experience he had gained working there, he was then hired to work as an assistant director for Gainsborough Pictures. He proved himself once again and in 1925 he directed, "The Pleasure Garden".
From this point on, Hitchcock would become one of the most influential directors in history. His specialty became making thriller film which he became most known for. Some of his early film work that he directed were, "Blackmail" (1929), "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934) starring James Stewart and Doris Day, "The Thirty-nine Steps" (1935), "Sabotoge" (1936) and "Rebecca" (1940).
In 1956 he relocated to Hollywood, California and became a United States Citizen. Not only was he a creative and different director but he also made a number of cameo appearances in his films and his most famous television program, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" where he was the host from 1955 to 1965.
After he realized viewers were watching his films waiting for him to make his cameo appearance he decided he would appear in the beginning of the film to avoid distraction for film viewers waiting to see him on screen. This began with his first cameo appearance at the beginning of the film, "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) and continued through the rest of the films he directed.
His voice is also used at Universal Studios for the, "Jaws" ride.
Alfred directed more than fifty feature films throughout his career. He was very known to make a cameo appearance on the screen in each of his films. Majority of the films he directed were centered around murder, mistaken identities and of course thriller.
He had a different approach to actors and the way things should be done. It has sometimes been miss-interpreted that he disliked actors, such was not the case. Instead it was that he was against the method approach, where he felt actors should only concentrate on what they are suppose to do and not analyze the script at hand.
Along with his amazing directing resume and acting appearances he also wrote a mystery story for, "Look" magazine in 1943.
He married only once in 1926 to Alma Reville and they had one daughter, Patricia. Alfred Hitchcock passed away in Los Angeles, California after suffering from renal failure on April 29th, 1980.
In 1979 he won the Lifetime Achievement Award and 1998, he appeared on a 32 cents stamp in the, "Legends of Hollywood" series.
Filmography
1976 Family Plot
1972 Frenzy
1969 Topaz
1966 Torn Curtain
1964 Marnie
1963 The Birds
1962 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1955-1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1960 Psycho
1960 Startime
1959 North by Northwest
1958 Vertigo
1957 Suspicion
1956 The Wrong Man
1956 The Man Who Knew Too Much
1955 The Trouble with Harry
1955 To Catch a Thief
1954 Rear Window
1954 Dial M for Murder
1953 I Confess
1951 Strangers on a Train
1950 Stage Fright
1949 Under Capricorn
1948 Rope
1947 The Paradine Case
1946 Notorious
1945 Spellbound
1945 Watchtower Over Tomorrow
1944 The Fighting Generation
1944 Lifeboat
1944 Aventure malgache
1944 Bon Voyage
1943 Shadow of a Doubt
1942 Saboteur
1941 Suspicion
1941 Mr. & Mrs. Smith
1940 Foreign Correspondent
1940 Rebecca
1939 Jamaica Inn
1938 The Lady Vanishes
1937 The Girl Was Young
1936 Sabotage
1936 Secret Agent
1935 The 39 Steps
1934 The Man Who Knew Too Much
1934 Strauss' Great Waltz
1932 Number 17
1931 East of Shanghai
1931 Mary
1931 The Skin Game
1930 Murder!
1930 The Shame of Mary Boyle
1930 An Elastic Affair
1930 Elstree Calling
1929 Blackmail
1929 The Manxman
1929 Sound Test for Blackmail
1928 Champagne
1928 Easy Virtue
1928 The Farmer's Wife
1927 When Boys Leave Home
1927 The Ring
1927 The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
1926 Fear o' God
1925 The Pleasure Garden
1923 Always Tell Your Wife
1922 Number 13
