Sidney Lumet

Born: 25 June 1924
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A product of both the stage and the early days of TV, Lumet borrowed from each genre in developing his distinct filmmaking style.

His high regard for the script and insistence on a rehearsal period before shooting has enabled him to translate classic plays to the screen, including Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending, released as The Fugitive Kind; Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge; and Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night.

The son of veterans of the Yiddish stage, Lumet made his professional debut on radio at age four and his stage debut at the Yiddish Art Theatre at five.

Between 1931-32, he played the son in a Yiddish radio serial, The Rabbi From Brownsville, scripted and directed by his father, and featuring his mother as the leading lady.

Lumet had a string of Broadway parts, and after service in WWII, he returned to the New York stage and later formed his own Off-Broadway acting group, which gave him his first experience directing.

In 1950, Lumet's friend Yul Brynner, then a director with CBS-TV, invited him to join the network as an assistant director. He was soon promoted and established himself as one of the most prolific and respected directors in the business.

In 1957 Lumet made his feature film directing debut with 12 Angry Men, and earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Director.

Lumet's reputation was still far from secure when he achieved a technical triumph in the editing room with his adaptation of Lewis Wallant's novel The Pawnbroker. Lumet developed a technique known as "subliminal" cutting, which was used to suggest the "awakening" of concentration camp survivor Sol Nazerman.

Although some critics did not like the film, Lumet earned the Bafta for Best Director.

He made his British directing debut with The Hill, starring Sean Connery, and reunited with him several years later for The Anderson Tapes.

Lumet made two failed adaptations of stage plays, Child's Play and The Offense, and just when his career had reached an all-time low, he resurrected himself with Serpico, the first of four 70s hits that represent the peak of his career.

Lumet achieved success again with the star-studded box office hit, Murder on the Orient Express. He then earned his second Oscar nomination for Best Director for Dog Day Afternoon starring Al Pacino.

He scored a fourth triumph in as many years with the brilliant satire, Network, for which he received his third Best Director Oscar nomination.

The Wiz and Just Tell Me What You Want were failures, but Lumet was soon back in familiar territory in 1981 with Prince of the City, picking up his first writing credit for the script he penned with Jay Presson Allen.

The Verdict, starring Paul Newman, marked Lumet's fourth Academy Award nomination for Best Director. He then made his first film as solo writer as well as directing Q & A, before writing and directing Night Falls on Manhattan.

In 1999 Lumet directed an unsuccessful remake of John Cassavetes' Gloria, starring Sharon Stone, and two years later returned to TV directing for first time in over 40 years with 100 Centre Street.

In 2005 Lumet was awarded an Honorary Award at the Academy Awards.