Alfred Hitchcock biography

Synopsis

Early Years

Born in London on August 13, 1899, A¬¬lfred Hitchcock was raised by strict, Catholic parents. He described his childhood as lonely and sheltered, partly due to his obesity. He once said that he was sent by his father to the local police station with a note asking the officer to lock him away for 10 minutes as punishment for behaving badly. He also remarked that his mother would force him to stand at the foot OF her bed for several hours as punishment (a scene alluded to in his film Psycho). This idea of being harshly treated or wrongfully accused would later be reflected in Hitchcock's films.

A Gift For Suspense

He studied engineering at St. Ignatius College in London and quickly obtained a job as a draftsman and advertising designer for the cable company Henley's. It was while working at Henley's that he began to write, submitting short articles for the in-house publication. From his very first piece, he employed themes of false accusations, conflicted emotions and twist endings with impressive skill. In 1920, Hitchcock entered the film industry with a full-time position at the Famous Players-Lasky Company designing title cards for silent films. Within a few years, he was working as an assistant director. In 1925, he directed his first film and began making the "thrillers" for which he became known the world over. His 1929 film Blackmail is said to be the first British "talkie." During the 1930s he directed such classic suspense films as The Man Who Knew Too Much and The 39 Steps.

The Hollywood Years

In 1939 Hitchcock left England for Hollywood. The first film he made there, Rebecca (1940), won an Academy Award for best picture. Some of his most famous films include Psycho, The Birds and Marnie. His works became renowned for their depictions of violence, although many of his plots merely function as decoys meant to serve as a tool for understanding complex psychological characters. His cameo appearances in his own films, as well as his interviews, film trailers and the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962-65) made him a cultural icon. Hitchcock directed more than 50 feature films in a career spanning six decades. His lifetime partner was Alma Reville, his assistant director and his closest collaborator. Hitchcock received the AFI's Life Achievement Award in 1979 and died peacefully in his sleep on April 29, 1980, in Bel Air, California.

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