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John Ford

Born · February 1, 1894

Died · August 31, 1973 (79 years old)

Known For: Directing

Place of Birth: Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA

Bio

John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His four Academy Awards for Best Director (1935, 1940, 1941, 1952) is a record, and one of those films, How Green Was My Valley (1941), also won Best Picture. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ford directed more than 140 films (although nearly all of his silent films are now lost) and he is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. Ford's films and personality were held in high regard by his colleagues, with Ingmar Bergman and Orson Welles among those who have named him as one of the greatest directors of all time. In particular, Ford was a pioneer of location shooting and the long shot which frames his characters against a vast, harsh and rugged natural terrain.

Known for

The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation

The Horse Soldiers

The Horse Soldiers

Five Came Back

Five Came Back

Directed by John Ford

Directed by John Ford

Filmmakers for the Prosecution

Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

2023

John Ford: The Man Who Invented America

Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

2019

Five Came Back

Self (archive footage)

2017

Spanish Western

Self (archive footage)

2015

John Ford & Monument Valley

Self (archive footage)

2013

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

Self (archive footage)

2009

The Size of Legends, The Soul of Myth

Self (archive footage)

2009

Monument Valley: John Ford Country

Self (voice) (archive footage)

2006

Serenity at Sea: John Ford and the Araner

Himself (archive footage)

2006

Shooting War

himself

2000

Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'

Self (archive footage)

2000

John Wayne-A Life on Film

Self (archive footage)

2000

National Geographic Explorer: The Battle For Midway

Himself - Filmmaker (archive footage) (unaccredited)

1999

Omnibus: John Ford, Part One

Self (archive footage)

1992

John Wayne's 'The Alamo'

Self

1992

Fonda on Fonda

Self (archive footage)

1992

John Ford's America

Himself (Archive Footage)

1989

The American Film Institute Salute to ...

Self · (1 episode)

1973

The American West of John Ford

Self

1971

Directed by John Ford

Self (uncredited)

1971

My Name Is John Ford, I Make Westerns

Self

1970

The Horse Soldiers

Ned (uncredited)

1959

Screen Director's Playhouse

Self - Introduction · (1 episode)

1955

Ton Diagonismon Dia Thn Anadixin Tis Star Ellas

Himself (Grand Ball Attendee)

1952

The Screen Director

Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)

1951

Show-Business at War

Self

1943

Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines

J.P. Baldwin

1943

Big Time

John Ford (uncredited)

1929

The Scrapper

Buck, the scrapper

1917

The Trail of Hate

Lt. Jack Brewer

1917

The Tornado

Jack Dayton (as Jack Ford)

1917

The Purple Mask

(unconfirmed)

1916

The Bandit's Wager

1916

The Broken Coin

Sacchio's Accomplice (as Jack Ford)

1915

The Birth of a Nation

Klansman (uncredited)

1915

A Study in Scarlet

John H. Watson, M.D.

1914

Lucille Love: The Girl of Mystery

1914