John Ford

Born: 1894-02-01

John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His four Academy Awards for Best Director (1935, 1940, 1941, 1952) is a record, and one of those films, How Green Was My Valley (1941), also won Best Picture. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ford directed more than 140 films (although nearly all of his silent films are now lost) and he is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. Ford's films and personality were held in high regard by his colleagues, with Ingmar Bergman and Orson Welles among those who have named him as one of the greatest directors of all time. In particular, Ford was a pioneer of location shooting and the long shot which frames his characters against a vast, harsh and rugged natural terrain.


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The Horse Soldiers

as Ned
Released: 1959-06-11

A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail supply...

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The Birth of a Nation

as Klansman
Released: 1915-02-08

Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons,...

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Five Came Back

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2017-03-31

The extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed...

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A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies

as Self
Released: 1995-05-21

Martin Scorsese celebrates American movies from the silent classics to the Hollywood of the...

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AFI Life Achievement Award: 50th Anniversary Special

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2023-12-30

TCM host Ben Mankiewicz hosts this 50th anniversary special, with archival footage from 50 years...

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Directed by John Ford

as Self (uncredited)
Released: 1971-09-06

A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.

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Spanish Western

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2015-05-04

A vindication of the role of the technicians and artists who made spaghetti western genre...

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1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2009-07-02

This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips...

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Show-Business at War

as Self
Released: 1943-05-21

A multi-studio effort to show the newsreel audience the progress of the Hollywood war effort.

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Filmmakers for the Prosecution

as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Released: 2023-01-27

In 1945, two young American soldiers, brothers Budd and Stuart Schulberg, are commissioned to...

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John Ford: The Man Who Invented America

as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Released: 2019-02-03

Over a 50-year career and more than a hundred movies, filmmaker John Ford (1894-1973) forged the...

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The American West of John Ford

as Self
Released: 1971-12-05

A documentary encapsulating the career and Western films of director 'John Ford' , including...

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Shooting War

as himself
Released: 2000-12-07

A remarkable film that takes a special look at the first war to be truly reported and recorded...

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John Ford & Monument Valley

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2013-03-05

John Wayne, Henry Fonda and James Stewart discuss working with John Ford

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Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines

as J.P. Baldwin
Released: 1943-01-01

A training film for OSS agents who are to be dropped behind enemy lines.

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Backstory: 'How Green Was My Valley'

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2000-10-14

Documentary about how the creative energies of Darryl F. Zanuck and John Ford combined to forge...

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National Geographic Explorer: The Battle For Midway

as Himself - Filmmaker (archive footage) (unaccredited)
Released: 1999-04-14

National Geographic follows underwater explorer Bob Ballard as he searches for the aircraft...

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Big Time

as John Ford (uncredited)
Released: 1929-09-07

The relationship between a male dancer and his actress girlfriend is threatened by a scheming...

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A Study in Scarlet

as John H. Watson, M.D.
Released: 1914-12-29

This is the first of the Sherlock Holmes' stories by the famous English author. Sir Arthur Conan...

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The Tornado

as Jack Dayton (as Jack Ford)
Released: 1917-03-03

The Tornado mostly followed pulp Western formula -- bad guys hold up a town, take a girl...

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The Broken Coin

as Sacchio's Accomplice (as Jack Ford)
Released: 1915-06-21

A movie serial directed by Francis Ford.

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Monument Valley: John Ford Country

as Self (voice) (archive footage)
Released: 2006-06-06

Documentary about John Ford's relation to Monument Valley.

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Serenity at Sea: John Ford and the Araner

as Himself (archive footage)
Released: 2006-06-06

This 13 minute documentary short is found on the DVD : "The Long Voyage Home" (1940), directed...

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Omnibus: John Ford, Part One

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1992-12-01

Documentary about the early career of Hollywood film director John Ford, written and presented...

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The Scrapper

as Buck, the scrapper
Released: 1917-06-09

Bored with the ranch, Buck's girl goes off to the city and gets involved (innocently) in a...

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The Purple Mask

as (unconfirmed)
Released: 1916-12-25

Cunard turns into The Queen of the Apaches, an outlaw who steals from the rich to gives to the...

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Lucille Love: The Girl of Mystery

as uncredited
Released: 1914-01-02

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The Bandit's Wager

as uncredited
Released: 1916-11-05

After a man and his sister move West, she fights off the advances of a bandit who makes a bet...

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Screen Director's Playhouse

as Self - Introduction
First aired: 1955-10-05

Presented by Eastman Kodak, this show was a series of original scripts directed by acclaimed...

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The American Film Institute Salute to ...

as Self
First aired: 1973-04-02

In 1973 the American Film Institute initiated its Life Achievement Award, to be presented to a...

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