An English filmmaker widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of Cinema, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on this day in 1899. He was known as the 'Master of Suspense'.
In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films. His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins, although he never won the award for Best Director despite five nominations.
The 'Hitchcockian' style includes the use of editing and camera movement to mimic a person's gaze, thereby turning viewers into voyeurs, and framing shots to maximise anxiety and fear.
Born in Essex in 1899, Hitchcock was studying engineering at London County Council School of Engineering and Navigation when, in 1914, his father died suddenly, prompting him to drop out in order to help support his family.
Highly interested in the then new industry of film production, he made his first foray into movie making when he was hired at the London branch of Famous Players-Lasky as a title card designer.
There, he gained experience in writing, editing, and production management, and was eventually assigned his first film as a director, 'The Pleasure Garden' in 1925 and 'The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog' in 1927.
Later he went to Hollywood, and made his American film debut with the Selznick International Pictures mystery 'Rebecca' in 1940. Even more iconic thrillers would follow including 'Notorious', 'Dial M For Murder', 'Rear Window', and 'To Catch a Thief'.
In 1955, Hitchcock expanded his reach into television, producing and hosting the anthology series 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' .
He would remain best known as a filmmaker however, directing beloved films like 'Vertigo', 'North by Northwest', Rear window and perhaps the most venerated thriller of all time, 'Psycho'. Hitchcock passed away on 29th April, 1980. He was 80 years old.
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