George Cukor

George Dewey Cukor (July 7, 1899 to January 24, 1983) was an American film director and producer born in New York City who specialized in comedies and literary adaptations. He earned a reputation as a director exceptionally skilled at drawing compelling performances from actors, particularly actresses, and directed more Academy Award winning performances in the Best Actor category than any other director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for My Fair Lady in 1964, along with a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for the same film, and won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1975 for directing the television movie Love Among the Ruins. His career spanned five decades from 1930 to 1981 and included A Bill of Divorcement in 1932, Little Women in 1933, The Philadelphia Story in 1940, Gaslight in 1944, Adam's Rib in 1949, Born Yesterday in 1950, and A Star Is Born in 1954. He worked with major studios including RKO, MGM, and Warner Bros., and collaborated frequently with actresses Katharine Hepburn and Judy Garland. He died in Los Angeles at age eighty three.