Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut plots centered on individualistic loners". He directed the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

horror film '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956), as well as five films with

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

, including the police thriller ''

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...

'' (1971) and the prison drama '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979). He also directed

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

's final film, the Western '' The Shootist'' (1976).

Early life

Siegel was born in 1912 to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in Chicago; his father was a mandolin player. Siegel attended schools in New York and later graduated from

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes ...

in England. For a short time he studied at Beaux Arts in Paris, but left at age 20 and later went to Los Angeles.Munn, p. 75

Career

Siegel found work in the Warner Bros. film library after meeting producer Hal Wallis, and later rose to head of the Montage Department, where he directed thousands of montages, including the opening montage for ''

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

''. In 1945, two shorts he directed, ''

Star in the Night ''Star in the Night'' is a 1945 American short drama film directed by Don Siegel and starring J. Carrol Naish, Donald Woods and Rosina Galli. The film was Siegel's directorial debut, and won an Oscar in 1946 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel) ...

'' and '' Hitler Lives'', won

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s, which launched his career as a feature director. He directed whatever material came his way, often transcending the limitations of budget and script to produce interesting and adept works. He made the original '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956), described by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' in 2014 as a "fatalistic masterpiece" and "a touchstone for the sci-fi genre" which spawned three remakes. For television, he directed two episodes of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', " Uncle Simon" (1963) and " The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" (1964), and was the producer of ''

The Legend of Jesse James ''The Legend of Jesse James'' is a 1980 country music concept album written by English songwriter Paul Kennerley, based on the story of American Old West outlaw Jesse James. The album features Levon Helm singing the role of Jesse James, J ...

'' (1965). He worked with Eli Wallach in '' The Lineup'',

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

and

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

in '' Flaming Star'' (1960), with

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...

in '' Hell Is for Heroes'' and

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alt ...

in the influential ''

The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

'' (1964) before directing five of Eastwood's films that were commercially successful in addition to being well received by critics. These included the action films ''

Coogan's Bluff Coogan's Bluff is a promontory near the western shore of the Harlem River in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. Its boundaries extend approximately from 155th Street and the Macombs Dam Bridge viaduct to ...

'' and ''

'', the Albert Maltz-scripted Western ''

Two Mules for Sister Sara ''Two Mules for Sister Sara'' is a 1970 American-Mexican Western film in Panavision directed by Don Siegel and starring Shirley MacLaine (billed above Clint Eastwood in the film's credits, but not on the poster) set during the French intervent ...

'', the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

melodrama '' The Beguiled'', and the prison-break picture '' Escape from Alcatraz''. He was a considerable influence on Eastwood's own career as a director, and Eastwood's film '' Unforgiven'' is dedicated "for Don and Sergio". He had a long collaboration with composer

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical eleme ...

, who scored five of his films: ''Coogan's Bluff'', ''The Beguiled'', ''Dirty Harry'', '' Charley Varrick'' and '' Telefon''. Schifrin composed and recorded what would have been his sixth score for Siegel on '' Jinxed!'' (1982), but it was rejected by the studio despite Siegel's objections. This was one of several fights Siegel had on this, his last film. Siegel was also important to the career of director

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic ''The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institut ...

. In 1954, Peckinpah was hired as a dialogue coach for ''

Riot in Cell Block 11 ''Riot in Cell Block 11'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Don Siegel and starring Neville Brand, Emile Meyer, Frank Faylen, Leo Gordon and Robert Osterloh. Quentin Tarantino called it "the best prison film ever made." P ...

''. His job entailed acting as an assistant to the director, Siegel. The film was shot on location at Folsom Prison. Siegel's location work and his use of actual prisoners as extras in the film made a lasting impression on Peckinpah. He worked as a dialogue coach on four additional Siegel films: '' Private Hell 36'' (1954), '' An Annapolis Story'' (1955), '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956) and ''

Crime in the Streets ''Crime in the Streets'' is a 1956 film about juvenile delinquency, directed by Don Siegel and based on a television play written by Reginald Rose. The play first appeared on the Elgin Hour and was directed by Sidney Lumet. The film, starring J ...

'' (1956). 25 years later, Peckinpah was all but banished from the industry due to his troubled film productions. Siegel gave the director a chance to return to filmmaking. He asked Peckinpah if he would be interested in directing 12 days of

second unit Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...

work on '' Jinxed!''. Peckinpah immediately accepted, and his earnest collaboration with his longtime friend was noted within the industry. While Peckinpah's work was uncredited, it would lead to his hiring as the director of his final film '' The Osterman Weekend'' (1983).

Cameos

He has a

cameo role A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

as a bartender in Eastwood's '' Play Misty for Me'', as well as in ''Dirty Harry''. In Philip Kaufman's 1978 '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'', a remake of Siegel's own 1956 film, he appears as a taxi driver. In '' Charley Varrick'' starring

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), '' King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

(a film slated for Eastwood but ultimately turned down by the actor), he has a cameo as a ping-pong player. He also appears in the 1985 John Landis film '' Into the Night''.

Personal life and death

From 1948 to 1953, he was married to actress

Viveca Lindfors Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress. Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the d ...

, with whom he had a son,

Kristoffer Tabori Kristoffer Tabori (also known as K.T. Donaldson, born Christopher Donald Siegel; August 4, 1952) is an American actor and television director. Early life Tabori was born in Malibu, California, the son of American film director Don Siegel and S ...

. He married

Doe Avedon Doe Avedon (born Dorcas Marie Nowell; April 7, 1925 – December 18, 2011) was an American model and actress. Early life Doe Avedon was born Dorcas Marie Nowell in Old Westbury, New York, Long Island on April 7, 1925. Her mother died when s ...

in 1957. They adopted four children; they divorced in 1975. He married Carol Rydall, former secretary to Clint Eastwood. They remained together until he died at the age of 78 from cancer in Nipomo, California. He is buried near Highway 1 in the coastal Cayucos-Morro Bay District Cemetery. Siegel was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

.David Robinson, 'Don Siegel's stories', ''The Times'', 1 May 1975; pg. 11; Issue 59384; col E.

Filmography

*'' Now Voyager'' (1942) (montage by) *''

Across the Pacific ''Across the Pacific'' is a 1942 American spy film set on the eve of the entry of the United States into World War II. It was directed first by John Huston, then by Vincent Sherman after Huston joined the United States Army Signal Corps. It sta ...

'' (1942) (montage director) *''

'' (1942) (montage director) *'' The Hard Way'' (1943) (montage director) *''

'' (1945 short) *'' Hitler Lives'' (1945 documentary short, uncredited) *'' The Verdict'' (1946) *'' Night Unto Night'' (1949) *''

The Big Steal ''The Big Steal'' is a 1949 American black-and-white film noir reteaming '' Out of the Past'' stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser. Pl ...

'' (1949) *''

The Duel at Silver Creek ''The Duel at Silver Creek'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Don Siegel; his first film in the Western genre. It starred Stephen McNally, Audie Murphy and Faith Domergue. It was the first time Murphy had appeared in a film where he p ...

'' (1952) *''

Count the Hours ''Count the Hours!'' is a 1953 crime film noir directed by Don Siegel, featuring Macdonald Carey, Teresa Wright, John Craven, and Jack Elam.. Plot The bodies of farmer Fred Morgan and his housekeeper are found. Suspicion falls on hired hand Georg ...

'' (1953) *''

China Venture ''China Venture'' is a 1953 American adventure war film directed by Don Siegel. The plot concerns an American patrol sent into South China during World War II to rescue an important prisoner held by Chinese guerrillas. Plot Cast *Edmond O'Bri ...

'' (1953) *''

'' (1954) *'' Private Hell 36'' (1954) *'' The Blue and Gold'' (1955) *'' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956) *''

'' (1956) *''

Baby Face Nelson Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), also known as George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber who became a criminal partner of John Dillinger, when he helped Dillinger escape from prison, in Crown P ...

'' (1957) *'' Spanish Affair'' (1957) *'' The Gun Runners'' (1958) *'' The Lineup'' (1958) *'' Hound-Dog Man'' (1959) *'' Edge of Eternity'' (1959) - Man at Motel Pool (uncredited) *'' Flaming Star'' (1960) *'' Hell Is for Heroes'' (1962) *''

'' (1964) *'' The Hanged Man'' (1964) *'' Stranger on the Run'' (1967) *''

'' (1968) *'' Madigan'' (1968) *'' Death of a Gunfighter'' (1969) *''

'' (1970) *'' The Beguiled'' (1971) *''

'' (1971) *'' Charley Varrick'' (1973) *'' The Black Windmill'' (1974) *'' The Shootist'' (1976) *'' Telefon'' (1977) *'' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979) *'' Rough Cut'' (1980) *'' Jinxed!'' (1982)

References

Sources

External links

*
Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical DatabaseAn Academy Salute to Don Siegel, With Curtis Hanson and Clint Eastwood
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegel, Don 1912 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Action film directors Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Jewish American atheists American film directors 20th-century American Jews American television directors Businesspeople from Chicago Deaths from cancer in California Film producers from Illinois Western (genre) film directors