Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...

for '' Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...

'' (1968), '' Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971), '' Papillon'' (1973), and '' The Boys from Brazil'' (1978). He served as president of the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

between 1987 and 1989.

Early life

Schaffner was born in Tokyo, Japan, the son of American missionaries Sarah Horting (née Swords) and Paul Franklin Schaffner, and was raised in Japan. The Schaffners returned to the United States and settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania when Franklin Schaffner was 5 years old. Franklin Schaffner attended J.P. McCaskey High School, where he appeared as Mr. Darcy in the school's production of ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

''. In 1938, he graduated as valedictorian of McCaskey High School's first graduating class. Schaffner graduated from Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) in Lancaster. As a student, Schaffner was active in the drama program at F&M's Green Room Theatre, where he appeared in eleven plays and served as president of the Green Room Club. He then studied law at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York City, but his education was interrupted by service with the U.S. Navy in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

during which he served with amphibious forces in Europe and North Africa. In the latter stages of the war, he was sent to the Pacific

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

to serve with the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

Television career

Schaffner returned to the United States after the war. He worked for a world peace organization, then as an assistant director for the documentary film series ''

The March of Time ''The March of Time'' is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945 that was produced by advertising agency Batten, Barton, ...

''. He became a director in the news and public affairs department of CBS television, where his jobs including covering sports, beauty pageants and public-service programs. In 1950 he directed "The Traitor", the first episode of ''Ford Theatre''. He also did adaptations of ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' and ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

''. He directed "Thunder on Sycamore Street" by

Reginald Rose Reginald Rose (December 10, 1920 – April 19, 2002) was an American screenwriter. He wrote about controversial social and political issues. His realistic approach was particularly influential in the anthology programs of the 1950s. Rose w ...

for '' Studio One''. He and Rose reunited on '' Twelve Angry Men'' which won Schaffner an Emmy for Best Director. The following year Schaffner earned another Emmy for his work on the 1955 TV adaptation of the Broadway play '' The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'', shown on the anthology series '' Ford Star Jubilee''. Schaffner became one of three regular directors on ''

The Kaiser Aluminum Hour ''The Kaiser Aluminum Hour'' is a dramatic anthology television series which was broadcast in prime time in the United States from July 3, 1956, through June 18, 1957, by NBC. ''The Kaiser Aluminum Hour'' was shown on alternate Tuesday nights a ...

''; the others were

George Roy Hill George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American actor and film director. His films include ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford; both fil ...

and Fielder Cook. He was also a regular director on ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

''. He was the original director on the series, '' The Defenders'', created by Rose. Schaffner's work earned him another Emmy. In 1960, he directed

Allen Drury Allen Stuart Drury (September 2, 1918 – September 2, 1998) was an American novelist. During World War II, he was a reporter in the Senate, closely observing Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, among others. He would convert the ...

's stage play ''

Advise and Consent ''Advise and Consent'' is a 1959 political fiction novel by Allen Drury that explores the United States Senate confirmation of controversial Secretary of State nominee Robert Leffingwell, whose promotion is endangered due to growing evidence ...

''. This earned him the Best Director recognition in the Variety Critics Poll. In the realm of network television, Schaffner also received widespread critical acclaim in 1962 for his groundbreaking collaboration with the First Lady of the United States

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

and CBS television's Musical Director Alfredo Antonini in the production of '' A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy'', a television special broadcast to over 80 million viewers worldwide. Schaffner's contributions in this production earned him a nomination in 1963 by the Directors Guild of America, for its award in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television.

Feature films

Early films

In January 1960 Schaffner signed a multi picture deal with Columbia Pictures. In May 1961 he signed to make ''A Summer Place'' at 20th Century Fox with Fabian and Dolores Hart. The film was not made. Schaffner directed ''The Good Years'' (1962) for TV with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. Other TV work included ''The Great American Robbery''. Instead Schaffner's first motion picture was '' The Stripper'' (1963), made at Fox from a play by William Inge, starring Richard Beymer and Joanne Woodward. The film was well-received critically, but not a commercial success. He continued to work for TV including '' The Legend of Lylah Clare''. Schaffner later made '' The Best Man'' (1964) based on a play by

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

and ''

The War Lord ''The War Lord'' is a 1965 American drama historical film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston. The film, which concerns medieval warfare and culture in 11th-century Normandy, is an adaptation of the play ''The Lovers ...

'' (1965), based on a play by

Leslie Stevens Leslie Clark Stevens IV (February 3, 1924 – April 24, 1998) was an American producer, writer, and director. He created two television series for the ABC network, '' The Outer Limits'' (1963–1965) and '' Stoney Burke'' (1962–63), and ''Sea ...

, with

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

. In a 1966 interview he said "as you mature you learn that the story is the most important thing." He announced various films for Columbia – ''The Day Lincoln Was Shot'', ''The Whistle Blows for Victory'' and ''The Green Beret'' – but they were not made. He went to Britain to make '' The Double Man'' (1967) with

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...

, a film Schaffner admitted he did for the money.Balancing Act Pays Off for 'Patton' Director: Incomplete Source Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 7 May 1970: h1.

Peak

Schaffner had a huge critical and commercial hit in ''

'' (1968) starring Heston at 20th Century Fox. In December 1968 Schaffner signed a non-exclusive three-picture deal with Columbia. His next film was for 20th Century Fox, however: '' Patton'' (1970), a biopic of General Patton starring George C. Scott. It was a major success for which Schaffner won the

and the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Director. He made '' Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971) for producer

Sam Spiegel Samuel P. Spiegel (November 11, 1901December 31, 1985) was an American independent film producer. Financially responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed motion pictures of the 20th century, Spiegel produced films that won the Academy ...

. It was an expensive box-office failure. Schaffner followed it with '' Papillon'' (1973) a $14 million epic with Steve McQueen and

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...

that was a considerable financial success. In 1971 he said his films "are almost always about people who are out of their time and place." Schaffner intended to follow ''Papillon'' with ''Dynasty of Western Outlaws'', about outlaws over the years in Missouri from a script by John Gay, and an adaptation of ''

The French Lieutenant's Woman ''The French Lieutenant's Woman'' is a 1969 Postmodern literature, postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles. The plot explores the fraught relationship of gentleman and amateur naturalist Charles Smithson and Sarah Woodruff, the for ...

''.McQueen – The Man Who Got Away By A.H. WEILER. New York Times 26 Dec 1971: D15. He ended up making neither: ''Dynasty'' was never made, and ''French Lieutenant'' was made a decade later by another director. Schaffner reunited with George C. Scott in '' Islands in the Stream'' (1977), based on the novel by

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

. He then did '' The Boys from Brazil'' (1978) based on a novel by

Ira Levin Ira Marvin Levin (August 27, 1929 – November 12, 2007) was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter. His works include the novels '' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1953), '' Rosemary's Baby'' (1967), '' The Stepford Wives'' (1972), '' This Perf ...

with

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

and

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

Later work

His later films included ''

Sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

'' (1981), a $10 million thriller about Egypt based on a novel by Robin Cook and produced by Stanley O'Toole, who had made ''Boys from Brazil'' with Schaffner. It was a commercial and critical failure, as was '' Yes, Giorgio'' (1982), a musical comedy starring

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

. Schaffner's last films were the critically well-received '' Lionheart'' (1987) and '' Welcome Home'' (1989). Schaffner was president of the

from 1987 until his death in 1989.

Frequent collaborators

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. He was consid ...

composed the music for seven of his films: ''The Stripper'', ''Planet of the Apes'', ''Patton'', ''Papillon'', ''Islands in the Stream'', ''The Boys from Brazil'' and ''Lionheart''. Four of them were nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

. Schaffner twice worked with actors

and Maurice Evans (''

''; ''

''), George C. Scott ('' Patton''; '' Islands in the Stream'') and

('' Nicholas and Alexandra''; '' The Boys from Brazil'').

Personal life

Schaffner married Helen Jean Gilchrist in 1948. The couple had two children, Jennie and Kate. She died in 2007. Schaffner died on July 2, 1989, at the age of 69. He was released 10 days before his death from a hospital where he was being treated for lung cancer.

Critical perception

Screenwriter

William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...

identified Schaffner in 1981 as being one of the three best directors (then living) at handling "scope" (a gift for screen epics) in films. The other two were

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

and

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...

Legacy

In 1991, Schaffner's widow, Jean Schaffner, established the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal (colloquially known as the Franklin J. Schaffner Award), which is awarded by the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

at its annual ceremony to an alumnus of either the AFI Conservatory or the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women who best embodies the qualities of the late director: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality filmmaking. Notable recipients include

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

Amy Heckerling Amy Heckerling (born May 7, 1954) is an American writer, producer, and director. Heckerling started out her career after graduating from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, New York University and entering the American Film Institute, ...

, Terrence Malick,

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion ...

Patty Jenkins Patricia Lea Jenkins (born July 24, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed the feature films '' Monster'' (2003), ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), and '' Wonder Woman 1984'' (2020). For the film ''Monster'', sh ...

and

Paul Schrader Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scor ...

, among others. The

also began presenting a Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award to associate directors or stage managers in 1991. The moving image collection of Franklin J. Schaffner is held at the Academy Film Archive. In May 2020, the mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, proclaimed Franklin Schaffner Week (May 23–30, 2020) to mark the centennial of his birth.

Filmography

Film

Television

TV movies * ''Cry Vengeance!'' (1961) * ''The Good Years'' (1962) * ''Ambassador at Large'' (1964) * ''One-Eyed Jacks Are Wild'' (1966)

Awards and nominations

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaffner, Franklin 1920 births 1989 deaths American expatriates in Japan Film directors from Pennsylvania Best Directing Academy Award winners Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Columbia Law School alumni Directors Guild of America Award winners English-language film directors Franklin & Marshall College alumni Mass media people from Tokyo Military personnel from Pennsylvania People from Lancaster, Pennsylvania People of the Office of Strategic Services Presidents of the Directors Guild of America Primetime Emmy Award winners American science fiction film directors United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II Directors of Best Picture Academy Award winners