Anthony Mann

Anthony Mann (born Emil Anton Bundsmann; June 30, 1906 – April 29, 1967) was an American film director and stage actor. He came to prominence as a skilled director of ''film noir'' and Westerns, and for his historical epics.

Mann started as a theatre actor appearing in numerous stage productions. In 1937, he moved to Hollywood where he worked as a talent scout and casting director. He then became an assistant director, most notably working for Preston Sturges. His directorial debut was ''Dr. Broadway'' (1942). He directed several feature films for numerous production companies, including RKO Pictures, Eagle-Lion Films, Universal Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). His first major success was ''T-Men'' (1947), garnering notable recognition for producing several films in the ''film noir'' genre through modest budgets and short shooting schedules. As a director, he often collaborated with cinematographer John Alton.

During the 1950s, Mann shifted to directing Western films starring several major stars of the era, including James Stewart. He directed Stewart in eight films, including ''Winchester '73'' (1950), ''The Naked Spur'' (1953), and ''The Man from Laramie'' (1955). While successful in the United States, these films became appreciated and studied among French film critics, several of whom would become influential with the French New Wave. In 1955, Jacques Rivette hailed Mann as "one of the four great directors of postwar Hollywood". The other three were Nicholas Ray, Richard Brooks, and Robert Aldrich.

By the 1960s, Mann turned to large-scale filmmaking, directing the medieval epic ''El Cid'' (1961), starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, and ''The Fall of the Roman Empire'' (1964). Both films were produced by Samuel Bronston. Mann then directed the war film ''The Heroes of Telemark'' (1965) and the spy thriller ''A Dandy in Aspic'' (1968). In 1967, Mann died from a heart attack in Berlin before he had finished the latter film; its star Laurence Harvey completed the film, albeit uncredited. Provided by Wikipedia