Sam Spiegel Biography

Fast Facts

• Won the Academy Fellowship at the 1984 BAFTA Awards and was nominated for numerous Golden Laurel Awards
• Won two David di Donatello Awards for Best Foreign Production for "The Bridge on the River Kwai" in 1958 and "Lawrence of Arabia" in 1964
• Produced films in France, Germany, and England before debuting his first Hollywood film, "Tales of Manhattan․"
• Used his proficiency in more than six languages to get a job as a story translator in Hollywood in 1927
• Quote: "We are living in an age where pictures are being made today by computers․ Years ago, we used special effects, but there was no great deal of study involved in finding the right way to use special effects․"
• Best known as the producer of a number of classic films, including "Lawrence of Arabia," "The Bridge on the River Kwai," and "On the Waterfront․"
• Made a series of films in the 1940s where he was credited as "S․P․ Eagle․"
• Has said that the most difficult film to make was "Lawrence of Arabia" because it was "like waging war․"
• His New Year's Eve parties in Beverly Hills were often attended by such famous names as Lucille Ball and Charlie Chaplin
• Sailed his 165-foot yacht to the Cannes Film Festival and moored it in the bay, where he entertained the attending movie stars with round-the-clock parties