Alfred Joseph Hitchcock

Born: August 13, 1899, Leytonstone, England

School

• After attending a Jesuit preparatory school, he entered the work force at age 14 by taking an office position at Henley Telegraph and Cable Company, where he remained employed until 1920.

Movie Business

• At age 21 Hitchcock took his first job in the movie business, where he worked until his death in 1980.

Hitchcock gets his start

• Movies were still silent for the first nine years Hitchcock worked on them.

• He got his start designing inter-titles in London.

Hitchcock gets his start

• During his first six years, Hitchcock did a little bit of everything from art director to script writer to production manager to assistant director.

• In 1926 Hitchcock directed his first film, a thriller titled "The Lodger."

Alma Reville

• Near the end of 1926, Hitchcock married Alma Reville, who also worked in the film industry.

• They remained married until Hitchcock’s death nearly 54 years later.

BLACKMAIL

• In the late 1920s Hitchcock directed more silent films.

• In 1929 he directed the first British talkie, a thriller titled "Blackmail.”

• Throughout the 1930s Hitchcock continued to direct thrillers in England.

Hitchcock comes to America

• In 1938 David O. Selznick signed Hitchcock to a contract.

• In 1939 Hitchcock took up permanent residence in the United States. In 1955 he became a U.S. citizen.

REBECCA

• The first American movie directed by Hitchcock was "Rebecca" (1940), a critical and box-office success.

Television

• He also appeared on weekly television shows bearing his name from 1955 to 1965

Fame

• Hitchcock appeared frequently in magazines and newspapers, and by the mid-1960s he had become one of the most recognizable people in the world.

• Over the next 36 years Hitchcock directed an astonishing number of popular films.

Cameos

• He made a cameo appearance in each one.

Hitchcock in NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Cool Blondes

• Many Hitchcock movies have certain characteristics in common, and one of these is that the leading lady is often an icy young woman, usually a blonde.

Eva Marie Saint fromNORTH BY NORTHWEST

The MacGuffin

• Hitchcock popularized the use of the term MacGuffin to describe an object in a story that superficially drives the plot but ultimately has little to do with what makes the story interesting. Treasure maps, secret formulas, valuable jewels, and bags of narcotics are typical MacGuffins.

Death

• April 28, 1980

• Sixty-Seven film credits as director

• Nominated for 6 Academy Awards

• Won the Irving Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement

• American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award