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Howard Hawks

Howard Hawks (May 30, 1896 - December 26, 1977) was one of the more critically acclaimed directors of the Classic Hollywood Era.

Hawks directed several films considered to be classics in a number of different genres:

  • The Big Sleep - film noir
  • Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday - screwball comedy film
  • Scarface - gangster film
  • Sergeant York - war film
  • Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - comedy
  • Red River - western film
  • Rio Bravo - western film
Hawks also produced The Thing From Another World, one of the best science fiction films from the 1950s. He may have also directed it, although he did not give himself any credit for that.

There is a story, which may be apocryphal, that Hawks once told Ernest Hemingway that he could make a good movie out of the worst thing that Hemingway had ever written, at which point Hemingway challenged him to make a movie out of To Have and Have Not. Hawks' film may not be a classic, but it includes a number of memorable scenes, including Bacall's exercise in teaching Bogart how to whistle.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2004.

Howard Hawks Facts

Birth Name Howard Winchester Hawks
OccupationDirector
BirthdayMay 30, 1896
SignGemini
BirthplaceGoshen, Indiana, USA
Date of deathDecember 26, 1977 (age 81)
Height6' 2" (1m88)  How tall is Howard Hawks compared to you?
Awards1975 Academy Awards: Honorary Award

Selected Filmography

Rio Lobo
His Girl Friday
Rio Bravo
The Big Sleep
El Dorado
Red River
To Have and Have Not
Hatari!
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