Patrick McGilligan (born April 22, 1951) is an American biographer, film historian and writer. His biography of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

, ''Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light'', was a finalist for the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

. He is the author of two ''New York Times'' Notable Books, and he lives in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He is also noted for his biography of

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

, ''Clint: The Life and Legend'', which the author described as "a left-wing book." In addition to Hitchcock and Eastwood, he has written biographies of

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

Oscar Micheaux Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and c ...

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

, Nicholas Ray,

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

and

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

. He is also an editor of ''Backstory'', which features interviews of Hollywood screenwriters and is published by the

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

Notable works

*''Woody Allen: A Travesty of a Mockery of a Sham'' *''Funny Man: Mel Brooks'' *''Clint: The Life and Legend'' *''George Cukor: A Double Life'' *''Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light'' *''Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast'' *''Oscar Micheaux: The Great and Only: The Life of America's First Black Filmmaker'' *''Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild'' *''Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of an American Director'' *''Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist'' with Paul Buhle

References

External links

PhotographWriting at Film International
1951 births Living people 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American biographers 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers American film historians American male non-fiction writers Writers from Milwaukee {{US-bio-writer-stub