Sidney Lumet (Filadelfia, 25 giugno 1924) è un regista, sceneggiatore, attore e produttore cinematografico statunitense.

Figlio dell'attore Baruch Lumet e della ballerina Eugenia Wermus, dopo il debutto a 4 anni all'Yiddish Art Theatre di New York ha studiato al Professional Children School e dal 1939 ha partecipato a diversi spettacoli teatrali.



IL CINEMA

Agli inizi degli anni '50 ha lavorato come regista per alcuni spettacoli teatrali e per alcune serie televisive. All'età di 33 anni debutta come regista cinematografico con il lungometraggio La parola ai giurati (1957) interpretato dall'amico Henry Fonda, con cui girerà cinque film. La pellicola affronta i temi del razzismo e la violazione dei diritti civili e ottiene numerosi riconoscimenti tra cui l'Orso d'Oro al Festival di Berlino e frutta al regista anche una nomination all'Oscar.



ATTORI

I suoi film riscuotono molto successo anche per l'abilità dimostrata nel dirigere grandi star come Anna Magnani e Marlon Brando in Pelle di serpente (1959), Katharine Hepburn e Ralph Richardson ne Il lungo viaggio verso la notte (1962), o nuovamente Henry Fonda nel ruolo del presidente degli Stati Uniti in A prova d'errore (1964), Rod Steiger ne L'uomo del banco dei pegni (1964) o Sean Connery ne La collina del disonore (1965).

Ormai acclamato come una celebrità del cinema hollywoodiano, negli anni '70 dirige altri film di successo come Serpico (1973) e Quel pomeriggio di un giorno da cani (1975) entrambi con l'interpretazione di Al Pacino agli inizi della carriera, Assassinio sull'Orient-Express (1974) - tratto da un romanzo di Agatha Christie e che vede riuniti talenti del calibro di Ingrid Bergman (Oscar come migliore attrice non protagonista), Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave e Albert Finney (nel ruolo di Poirot) - e Quinto potere (1976), una critica al sistema televisivo a agli effetti nei confronti degli spettatori. Il film vale l'Oscar ai due protagonisti, Peter Finch e Faye Dunaway.

Negli anni '80 gira altre pellicole notevoli quali Il verdetto (1982) con il duo Newman-Mason, Daniel (1983) sul caso Rosenberg e Il mattino dopo (1986) per il quale Jane Fonda viene nominata all'Oscar. Dopo pellicole che non riscontrano il consenso delle precedenti, dirige il film Gloria (1998) con Sharon Stone e Whistle (2000). Ultimamente ha girato Prova a incastrarmi, con Vin Diesel (2005) e Onora il padre e la madre (2007) con Ethan Hawke a Philip Saymour Hoffmann.

Ottiene alla 77esima edizione degli Oscar (2004) il riconoscimento alla carriera.



11/2008

Sidney Lumet (pronounced loo-MET), (born June 25, 1924) is an Academy Award winning American film director, with over 50 films to his name, including the critically acclaimed 12 Angry Men (1957), Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982), all of which, except for Serpico (1973), earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.



According to “The Encyclopedia of Hollywood,” Lumet is one of the most prolific directors of the modern era. He has made more than one movie per year on average since his directorial debut in 1957. He is noted for his ability to draw major actors to his projects which has allowed him to make many ambitious movies for over fifty years.



One of his steady themes during his career has been the "fragility of justice and the police and their corruption," according to Thomson’s “Biographical Dictionary of Film” . He can deliver "powerhouse performances from lead actors," and fine work from character actors and is today one of the foremost figures of New York moviemaking. His sensitivity to actors and to the rhythms of the city have made him "America’s longest-lived descendant of the 1950s Neorealist tradition and its urgent commitment to ethical responsibility."



Lumet began as an off-Broadway director, then became a highly efficient TV director. His first movie was typical of his best work: a well-acted, tightly written, deeply considered "problem picture," 12 Angry Men (1957). Since then, Lumet has divided his energies among other idealistic problem pictures along with literate adaptations of plays and novels, big stylish pictures, and New York-based black comedies. As a result of directing Twelve Angry Men, he is also responsible for leading the first wave of directors who made a successful transition from TV to movies.



He is considered to be one of the most reliable and dependable talents of the last half-century. As a result, in 2005 he received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his "brilliant services to screenwriters, performers, and the art of the motion picture."



PERSONAL LIFE



EARLY LIFE



Sidney Lumet was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 25, 1924. He studied theater acting at the Professional Children's School, of New York and Columbia University.



His parents were Baruch Lumet and Eugenia Wermus, both veteran players of the Yiddish stage. His father was an actor, director, producer and writer, while his mother was a dancer. His mother passed away when he was still a child. Lumet made his professional debut on radio at age four and stage debut at the Yiddish Art Theatre at five. As a child he also appeared in many Broadway plays, including Dead end. In 1939 he made his only film appearance, at age 15, in One Third of a Nation. In 1939, World War II interrupted his early acting career, and he spent three years with the U.S. army.



After returning from WWII service (1942 – 46) as a radar repairman stationed in India and Burma, he organized an off-Broadway group and became its director. He also directed in Summer stock theatre and taught acting in the High School of Professional Arts.



MARRIED LIFE



His first wife was actress Rita Gam (1949-54); his second, was socialite Gloria Vanderbilt (1956-63); his third, Gail Jones (1963-78), who was the daughter of singer-actress Lena Horne; and his fourth marriage was to Mary Gimbel (1980 - present). His marriage to Gail Jones produced screen actress Jenny Lumet who had a leading role in his film Q & A. She also wrote the screenplay for the 2008 film Rachel Getting Married.



CAREER



Lumet began his career as a director with Off-Broadway productions and then evolved into a highly respected TV director. After gaining valuable experience working Off-Broadway and in summer stock, he began to direct in the new medium of television in 1950. In his six years as a TV director of such top-notch showcases as Alcoa Theater and Goodyear Playhouse, Lumet "gained a considerable reputation for being talented and resourceful." Because the quality of many of the television dramas was so impressive, several of them were adapted as motion pictures.



His first movie was typical of his best work: "a well-acted, tightly written, deeply considered 'problem picture,' 12 Angry Men (1957)." Writes film historian Stephen Bowles, "Twelve Angry Men was an auspicious beginning for Lumet. It was a critical and commercial success and established Lumet as a director skilled at adapting theatrical properties to motion pictures. Fully half of Lumet's complement of films have originated in the theater. Another precedent set by Twelve Angry Men was Lumet's career-long disdain for Hollywood."



After that, he divided his energies among other idealistic problem pictures, adaptations of plays and novels, big stylish pictures, tense melodramas, and New York-based black comedies dealing with society and American culture.



As a result of directing his first film, Twelve Angry Men, according to Siegel's Encyclopedia of Hollywood, "he led the first wave of directors who made a successful transition from TV to movies."



He later directed another controversial show in 1960, for which he gained notoriety: The Sacco-Vanzetti Story on NBC; According the the NY Times, "the drama drew flack from the state of Massachusetts (where Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were tried and executed) because it was thought to postulate that the condemned murderers were, in fact, wholly innocent. But the brouhaha actually did Lumet more good than harm, sending several prestigious film assignments his way, including his 1962 artistic triumph Long Day's Journey Into Night."



11/2008