Sidney Lumet
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924 - April 9, 2011) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his name, including 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982), all of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.
The Encyclopedia of Hollywood states that Lumet was one of the most prolific directors of the modern era, making more than one movie per year on average since his directorial debut in 1957. He is noted by Turner Classic Movies for his "strong direction of actors", "vigorous storytelling" and the "social realism" in his best work, and critic Roger Ebert describes him as having been "one of the finest craftsmen and warmest humanitarians among all film directors." Lumet became known as an "actor's director," having worked with the best of them during his career, probably more than "any other director."
Lumet began his career 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 12 Angry Men, he was also responsible for leading the first wave of directors who made a successful transition from TV to movies. For being one of the most reliable and dependable directors of the last half-century, in 2005 he received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his "brilliant services to screenwriters, performers, and the art of the motion picture." Two years later, Lumet concluded his career with the acclaimed drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007).
