Alexander Mackendrick

Known for DirectingBorn 1912-09-08Died 1993-12-22Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born Scottish film director and screenwriter. He directed nine feature films between 1949 and 1967, before retiring from filmmaking to become an influential professor at the California Institute of the Arts. Born to Scottish immigrant parents in Boston, he was raised in Glasgow from the age of 6. He began making television commercials before moving into post-production editing and directing films, most notably for Ealing Studios where his films include Whisky Galore! (1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951) - which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, The Maggie (1954), and The Ladykillers (1955). In 1957, Mackendrick directed his first American film Sweet Smell of Success, which was a critical and commercial success. However, his directing career declined throughout the following decade, and he was fired or replaced from several projects, owing in part to his perfectionist approach to filmmaking. Mackendrick retired from directing in the late 1960's after completing A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) and Don't Make Waves (1967), becoming the founding Dean (and later a Professor) of the CalArts School of Film/Video.Read more

Movies & web series

Abu's Dungeon

Mackendrick on Film

Logan

3:10 to Yuma

Typically British: A Personal History of British Cinema

Sweet Smell of Success

The Ladykillers

Fanfare

Midnight Menace

Mandy

The Man in the White Suit

Love on the Range

Whisky Galore!

Saraband for Dead Lovers

A High Wind in Jamaica

Sammy Going South

The 'Maggie'

The Defenders

Dance Hall

Don't Make Waves

Made In Ealing: The Story of Ealing Studios

Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away

The Ealing Comedies

Robinson Charley

Contraries

Abu and the Poisoned Well

South Sea Sweethearts