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Sidney Lumet Biography

Birth Place:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Profession
Director, producer, screenwriter, actor

Fast Facts

  • Made his stage debut by the age of 5 in New York's Yiddish Art Theatre, and made his Broadway debut at age 10 in the play Dead End
  • Served as a radar repairman in the U
  • S
  • Army Signal Corps from 1942 to '46
  • During the early '50s, directed plays for the stage and for TV series such as Playhouse 90, Kraft Television Theatre and Studio One
  • Made his feature-film directing debut in 1957 with the classic courtroom drama 12 Angry Men
  • Published his first book, the film how-to guide Making Movies, in 1995
  • Received the D
  • W
  • Griffith Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1988 Directors Guild Awards, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1998 Gotham Awards
  • Passed away from lymphoma in April 2011

Awards

  • 2008Critics' Choice Awards-Best Director: nominated
  • 2007Golden Satellite Award-Best Director: nominated
  • 1989Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1983Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1982Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1982Writers Guild Awards-Adapted Drama: nominated
  • 1982National Board of Review-Best Director: winner
  • 1982Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated
  • 1981New York Film Critics Circle-Best Director: winner
  • 1981Oscar-Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): nominated
  • 1978BAFTA Film Awards-Best Direction: nominated
  • 1977Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: winner
  • 1976Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1976Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated
  • 1976Los Angeles Film Critics Association-Best Director: winner
  • 1976BAFTA Film Awards-Best Direction: nominated
  • 1976Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1975Los Angeles Film Critics Association-Best Director: winner
  • 1975Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1975BAFTA Film Awards-Best Direction: nominated
  • 1975BAFTA Film Awards-Best Direction: nominated
  • 1975Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated
  • 1974Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1973Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1968BAFTA Film Awards-Best British Film: nominated
  • 1967BAFTA Film Awards-United Nations Award: nominated
  • 1966BAFTA Film Awards-Best British Film: nominated
  • 1966BAFTA Film Awards-United Nations Award: nominated
  • 1966BAFTA Film Awards-Best Film: nominated
  • 1965Cannes Film Festival-Best Screenplay: winner
  • 1965Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1962Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1961Emmy-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama: nominated
  • 1958Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1958Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1957Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1957Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated
  • 1957Berlin Film Festival-Golden Bear: winner
  • 1957Berlin Film Festival-Golden Bear: winner
  • 1957Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated
  • 1957Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated

Relationships