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Alfred Hitchcock
Age: 80 (passed away Apr. 29th, 1980)
Height: 5' 7"
Birth Place: Leytonstone, London, England, UK
Born: Dec. 31st, 1969
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Alfred Hitchcock's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: Alfred Hitchcock was the son of East End greengrocer William Hitchcock and his wife Emma. Raised as a strict Catholic and attending Saint Ignatius College, a school run by Jesuits, Hitch had very much of a regular upbringing. His first job outside of the family business was in 1915 as an estimator for the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company. His interest in movies began at around this time, frequently visiting the cinema and reading US trade journals.
In 1920, Hitch learned that Lasky were to open a studio in London and managed to secure a job as a title designer. He designed the titles for all the movies made at the studio for the next two years. In 1923, he got his first chance at directing when the director of Always Tell Your Wife (1923) fell ill and Hitch completed the movie. Impressed by his work, studio chiefs gave him his first directing assignment on Number 13 (1922); however, before it could be finished, the studio closed its British operation. Hitch was then hired by Michael Balcon to work as an assistant director for the company later to be known as Gainsborough Pictures. In reality, Hitch did more than this -- working as a writer, title designer and art director. After several films for the company, Hitch was given the chance to direct a British/German co-production called The Pleasure Garden (1925). Hitchcock's career as a director finally began. Hitchcock went on to become the most widely known and influential director in the history of world cinema with a significant body of work produced over 50 years.
TRIVIA:
- As a child, Hitchcock was sent to the local police station with a letter from his father. The desk sergeant read the letter and immediately locked the boy up for ten minutes. After that, the sergeant let young Alfred go, explaining, "This is what happens to people who do bad things." Hitchcock had a morbid fear of police from that day on. He also cited this phobia as the reason he never learned to drive (as a person who doesn't drive can never be pulled over and given a ticket). It was also cited as the reason for the recurring "wrong man" themes in his films.
- Once dressed up in drag for a party he threw. Footage of this was in his office, but his office was cleaned out after his death, and it is not known if the footage still exists.
- Education: St. Ignatius College, London, School of Engineering and Navigation (Studied mechanics, electricity, acoustics and navigation); University of London (Studied art).
- 'Alma Reville' (qv) and Hitch had one daughter, 'Patricia Hitchcock' (qv), who appeared in several of his movies: _Stage Fright (1950)_ (qv), _Strangers on a Train (1951)_ (qv) and _Psycho (1960)_ (qv)
- On April 29, 1974, the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York sponsored a gala homage to Alfred Hitchcock and his contributions to the cinema. Three hours of film excerpts were shown that night. 'François Truffaut' (qv) who had published a book of interviews with Hitchcock a few years earlier, was there that night to present "two brilliant sequences: the clash of the symbols in the second version of _The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)_ (qv) , and the plane attack on 'Cary Grant' (qv) in _North by Northwest (1959)_ (qv)." After the gala, Truffaut reflected again on what made Hitchcock unique and concluded: "It was impossible not to see that the love scenes were filmed like murder scenes, and the murder scenes like love scenes...It occurred to me that in Hitchcock's cinema...to make love and to die are one and the same."
- Due to his death in 1980, he never got to see _Psycho II (1983)_ (qv) . It remains unsure as to whether or not he was approached regarding the second movie, or any other "_Psycho (1960)_ (qv) -Expansion" motion picture.
- Appears on a 44˘ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring _"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955)_ (qv).
- His bridling under the heavy hand of producer 'David O. Selznick' (qv) was exemplified by the final scene of _Rebecca (1940)_ (qv). Selznick wanted his director to show smoke coming out of the burning house's chimney forming the letter 'R." Hitch thought the touch lacked any subtlety; instead, he showed flames licking at a pillow embroidered with the letter 'R.'
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