John Ford

John Ford, born John Martin Feeney on February 1, 1894, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and died August 31, 1973, in Palm Desert, California, was an American film director and producer regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers of Hollywood's Golden Age. He was especially known for Western films, including Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Fort Apache (1948), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and also worked in comedy, period drama, and wartime documentary. He won a record four Academy Awards for Best Director, for The Informer, The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, and The Quiet Man, plus additional Oscars for his World War II documentary work.