John Frankenheimer

Biography

John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas. He won four consecutive Emmy Awards in the 1990s for the television movies Against the Wall, The Burning Season, Andersonville and George Wallace, which also received a Golden Globe award. He was considered one of the last remaining directors who insisted on having complete control over all elements of production, making his style unique in Hollywood. His 30 feature films and over 50 plays for television were notable for their influence on contemporary thought. He became a pioneer of the "modern-day political thriller," having begun his career at the peak of the Cold War. Many of his films were noted for creating "psychological dilemmas" for his male protagonists along with having a strong "sense of environment," similar in style to films by director Sidney Lumet, for whom he had earlier worked as assistant director. He developed a "tremendous propensity for exploring political situations" which would ensnare his characters. Movie critic Leonard Maltin writes that "in his time [1960s]... Frankenheimer worked with the top writers, producers and actors…

Directed

1. Ronin (1998) — Director
2. Tales from the Crypt (1989) — Director
3. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) — Director
4. Reindeer Games (2000) — Director
5. The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) — Director
6. French Connection II (1975) — Director
7. Seconds (1966) — Director
8. The Train (1964) — Director
9. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) — Director
10. Grand Prix (1966) — Director
11. Seven Days in May (1964) — Director
12. Black Sunday (1977) — Director
13. Prophecy (1979) — Director
14. 52 Pick-Up (1986) — Director
15. Dead Bang (1989) — Director
16. Against the Wall (1994) — Director
17. Ambush (2001) — Director
18. The Holcroft Covenant (1985) — Director
19. Path to War (2003) — Director
20. Year of the Gun (1991) — Director
21. Andersonville (1996) — Director
22. The Challenge (1982) — Director
23. I Walk the Line (1970) — Director
24. The Gypsy Moths (1969) — Director
25. The Fourth War (1990) — Director
26. The Young Savages (1961) — Director
27. The Iceman Cometh (1973) — Director
28. All Fall Down (1962) — Director
29. The Fixer (1968) — Director
30. The Horsemen (1971) — Director
31. The Burning Season (1994) — Director
32. The Hire (2001) — Director
33. 99 and 44/100% Dead (1974) — Director
34. George Wallace (1997) — Director
35. Studio One (1948) — Director
36. Climax! (1954) — Director
37. The Young Stranger (1957) — Director
38. Impossible Object (1973) — Director
39. Playhouse 90 (1956) — Director
40. Days of Wine and Roses (1958) — Director

Also appeared in

1. The General's Daughter (1999) — General Sonnenberg
2. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014) — Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
3. Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau (2014) — Self (archive footage)
4. Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015) — Self (archive footage)
5. Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie (2021) — Self (archive footage)
6. Whicker's World (1959)
7. Lionpower from MGM (1967) — Self (uncredited)
8. Yul Brynner: The Man Who Was King (1995) — Self
9. Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions (1966) — Self
10. The Sky Divers (1969) — Self
11. Jazz Seen (2001) — Self
12. Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film (2002) — Self (uncredited)
13. Samedi soir (1971) — Self
14. Ronin: Filming in the Fast Lane (2004) — Self
15. Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix (2006) — Self (archive footage)
16. Flick Flack (1974)