- Birthday: September 7, 1909
- Born in: Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
- Co-founder of: the Actors Studio
- Nickname: “Gadg” for “gadget”
- First feature film: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- What he called “black months”: When he was a friendly witness at HUAC, naming names
- Academy Awards for Best Director: two (Gentlemen’s Agreement, On the Waterfront), plus three nominations
- His favorite of all his films: America America
- Fun fact: Was a bartender at college fraternities, but never joined one
- Quote: “When I wasn’t working, I didn’t know who I was or what I was supposed to do. This is general in the film world. You are so absorbed in making a film, you can’t think of anything else. It’s your identity, and when it’s done you are nobody.”
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