Don Siegel

Donald Siegel
Siegel in 1968
Born	(1912-10-26)October 26, 1912 Chicago,Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 20, 1991(1991-04-20)(aged 78) Nipomo,California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Film and television director and producer
Years active	1939−1984
Spouses	Viveca Lindfors ​ ​ (m.1948;div.1953)​ Doe Avedon ​ ​ (m.1957;div.1975)​ Carol Rydall ​ ​ (m.1981)​
Children	5, includingKristoffer Tabori

Donald Siegel(/ˈsiːɡəl/SEE-gəl;October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer.

Siegel was described byThe New York Timesas "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut plots centered on individualistic loners".He directed thescience-fictionhorror filmInvasion of the Body Snatchers(1956), as well as five films withClint Eastwood,including the police thrillerDirty Harry(1971) and the prison dramaEscape from Alcatraz(1979). He also directedJohn Wayne's final film, the WesternThe Shootist(1976).

Early life

Siegel was born in 1912 to a Jewish familyin Chicago; his father wasSamuel Siegel,a mandolin player.Siegel attended schools in New York and later graduated fromJesus College, Cambridgein England. For a short time, he studied atBeaux Arts in Paris,but left at age 20 and later went to Los Angeles.

Career

Siegel found work in theWarner Bros.film library after meeting producerHal Wallis,and later rose to head of the montage department, where he directed thousands ofmontages,including the opening montage forCasablanca.In 1945, two shorts he directed,Star in the NightandHitler Lives,wonAcademy Awards,which launched his career as a feature director.

Siegel directed whatever material came his way, often transcending the limitations of budget and script to produce interesting and adept works. He made the originalInvasion of the Body Snatchers(1956), described byThe Guardianin 2014 as a "fatalistic masterpiece" and "a touchstone for the sci-fi genre" which spawned three remakes.For television, he directed two episodes ofThe Twilight Zone,"Uncle Simon"(1963) and"The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross"(1964), and was the producer ofThe Legend of Jesse James(1965).He worked withEli WallachinThe Lineup,Elvis PresleyandDolores del RíoinFlaming Star(1960), withSteve McQueeninHell Is for Heroes,andLee Marvinin the influentialThe Killers(1964) before directing five of Eastwood's films that were commercially successful in addition to being well received by critics. These included the action filmsCoogan's BluffandDirty Harry,theAlbert Maltz-scripted WesternTwo Mules for Sister Sara,theAmerican Civil WarmelodramaThe Beguiled,and the prison-break pictureEscape from Alcatraz.He was a considerable influence on Eastwood's own career as a director, and Eastwood's filmUnforgivenis dedicated "for Don andSergio".

Siegel had a long collaboration with composerLalo Schifrin,who scored five of his films:Coogan's Bluff,The Beguiled,Dirty Harry,Charley Varrick,andTelefon.Schifrin composed and recorded what would have been his sixth score for Siegel onJinxed!(1982), but it was rejected by the studio despite Siegel's objections. This conflict was one of several fights Siegel had on his last film.

Siegel was also important to the career of directorSam Peckinpah.In 1954, Peckinpah was hired as a dialogue coach forRiot in Cell Block 11.His job entailed acting as an assistant to the director, Siegel. The film was shot on location atFolsom Prison.Siegel's location work and his use of actual prisoners as extras in the film made a lasting impression on Peckinpah. He worked as a dialogue coach on four additional Siegel films:Private Hell 36(1954),An Annapolis Story(1955),Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956), andCrime in the Streets(1956).Twenty-five years later, Peckinpah was all but banished from the industry due to his troubled film productions. Siegel gave the director a chance to return to filmmaking. He asked Peckinpah if he would be interested in directing 12 days ofsecond uniton Siegel'sJinxed!film. Peckinpah immediately accepted, and his earnest collaboration with his longtime friend was noted within the industry. While Peckinpah's work was uncredited, it led to his hiring as the director of his final filmThe Osterman Weekend(1983).

Cameos

Siegel had a small role as a bartender in Eastwood'sPlay Misty for Me,and inDirty Harry.InPhilip Kaufman's 1978Invasion of the Body Snatchers,a remake of Siegel's 1956 film, he appears as a taxi driver. InCharley VarrickstarringWalter Matthau(a film slated for Eastwood, but ultimately turned down by the actor), he has a cameo as a ping-pong player. He also appears in the 1985 John Landis filmInto the Night.Siegel also has a small role inThe Killers.

Personal life and death

Siegel and actressViveca Lindforswere married from 1948 to 1953. They had a son,Kristoffer Tabori.Siegel marriedDoe Avedonin 1957. They adopted four children and then divorced in 1975. Siegel married Carol Rydall, a former secretary to Clint Eastwood. Siegel and Rydall remained together until he died at age 78 from cancer in Nipomo, California. Siegel is buried near Highway 1 in the coastal Cayucos-Morro Bay District Cemetery. He was reportedly an atheist.

Filmography

• Now, Voyager(1942) (montage by)
• Across the Pacific(1942) (montage director)
• Casablanca(1942) (montage director)
• The Hard Way(1943) (montage director)
• Star in the Night(1945 short)
• Hitler Lives(1945 documentary short, uncredited)
• The Verdict(1946)
• Night Unto Night(1949)
• The Big Steal(1949)
• The Duel at Silver Creek(1952)
• No Time for Flowers(1952)
• Count the Hours(1953)
• China Venture(1953)
• Riot in Cell Block 11(1954)
• Private Hell 36(1954)
• The Blue and Gold(1955)
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956)
• Crime in the Streets(1956)
• Baby Face Nelson(1957)
• Spanish Affair(1957)
• The Gun Runners(1958)
• The Lineup(1958)
• Hound-Dog Man(1959)
• Edge of Eternity(1959) - Man at Motel Pool (uncredited)
• Flaming Star(1960)
• Hell Is for Heroes(1962)
• The Killers(1964)
• The Hanged Man(1964)
• Stranger on the Run(1967)
• Coogan's Bluff(1968)
• Madigan(1968)
• Death of a Gunfighter(credited asAlan Smithee) (1969)
• Two Mules for Sister Sara(1970)
• The Beguiled(1971)
• Dirty Harry(1971)
• Charley Varrick(1973)
• The Black Windmill(1974)
• The Shootist(1976)
• Telefon(1977)
• Escape from Alcatraz(1979)
• Rough Cut(1980)
• Jinxed!(1982)

Further reading

• Munn, Michael (1992).Clint Eastwood: Hollywood's Loner.London: Robson Books.ISBN0-86051-790-X.

External links

• Don SiegelatIMDb
• Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
• An Academy Salute to Don Siegel, With Curtis Hanson and Clint Eastwood