Vincente Minnelli

Biography

Vincente Minnelli, born in Chicago, was an American stage director and film director, famous for directing such classic movie musicals as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Gigi (1958), The Band Wagon (1953), and An American in Paris (1951). An American in Paris and Gigi both won the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Minnelli winning Best Director for Gigi. In addition to having directed some of the most famous and well-remembered musicals of his time, Minnelli made many comedies and melodramas. He was married to Judy Garland from 1945 until 1951; they were the parents of Liza Minnelli. With his background in theater, Minnelli was known as an auteur who always brought his stage experience to his films. The first film that he directed, Cabin in the Sky (1943), was visibly influenced by the theater. Shortly after that, he directed I Dood It with Red Skelton and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), during which he fell in love with the film's star, Judy Garland. They had first met on the set of Strike Up the Band (1940), a Busby Berkeley film for which Minnelli was asked to design a musical sequence performed by Garland and Mickey Rooney. They began a courtship that eventually led to their marri…

Directed

1. An American in Paris (1951) — Director
2. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) — Director
3. Gigi (1958) — Director
4. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) — Director
5. The Band Wagon (1953) — Director
6. Father of the Bride (1950) — Director
7. Lust for Life (1956) — Director
8. Brigadoon (1954) — Director
9. Some Came Running (1958) — Director
10. The Pirate (1948) — Director
11. Designing Woman (1957) — Director
12. Father's Little Dividend (1951) — Director
13. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) — Director
14. Home from the Hill (1960) — Director
15. Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) — Director
16. The Long, Long Trailer (1954) — Director
17. Ziegfeld Follies (1945) — Director
18. Tea and Sympathy (1956) — Director
19. Madame Bovary (1949) — Director
20. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) — Director
21. The Sandpiper (1965) — Director
22. Bells Are Ringing (1960) — Director
23. Undercurrent (1946) — Director
24. The Clock (1945) — Director
25. Cabin in the Sky (1943) — Director
26. The Reluctant Debutante (1958) — Director
27. The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) — Director
28. The Cobweb (1955) — Director
29. Goodbye Charlie (1964) — Director
30. The Story of Three Loves (1953) — Director
31. Kismet (1955) — Director
32. A Matter of Time (1976) — Director
33. Yolanda and the Thief (1945) — Director
34. I Dood It (1943) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend (2022) — Self (archive footage)
2. Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2025) — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
3. Liza Minnelli - Live from Radio City Music Hall (1992) — Self (archive footage)
4. Film '72 (1971) — Self
5. The Big Sur (1965) — Self
6. Elizabeth Taylor: An Intimate Portrait (1975) — Self
7. Judy Garland: By Myself (2004) — Self (archive footage)
8. 'S Wonderful: Creating An American in Paris (2008) — Self (archival footage)
9. Van Gogh: Darkness into Light (1957) — Self
10. Easter Parade: On the Avenue (2005) — Self (Archive Footage)
11. Meet Me in St. Louis: The Making of an American Classic (1994) — Self (archive footage)
12. Minnelli on Minnelli: Liza Remembers Vincente (1987) — Self (archive footage)
13. The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli (1973) — Self
14. A Tradition of Romance (1976) — Himself
15. Vincente Minnelli: The Movies That Stay With You (2024) — Self (archival footage)
16. The Men Who Made the Movies (1973) — Self