Vincente Minnelli

Vincente Minnelli was an American stage and film director born in Chicago as Lester Anthony Minnelli, celebrated for his sophisticated visual style in musical films. He began his career in theater as a costume designer before directing on Broadway, and in 1940 producer Arthur Freed brought him to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he directed sequences in early productions such as Babes on Broadway before taking on full features. His filmography includes Meet Me in St. Louis, An American in Paris, The Bad and the Beautiful, The Band Wagon and Gigi. An American in Paris and Gigi both won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Minnelli won the Academy Award for Best Director for Gigi. Several of his films have since been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, and his work is remembered for blending visual design with narrative storytelling.