Nicholas Ray

Born: 1911-08-07

Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle; 7 August 1911 – 16 June 1979) was an American film director best known for the films Rebel Without a Cause and Johnny Guitar. Described by the Harvard Film Archive as "Hollywood's last romantic" and "one of postwar American cinema’s supremely gifted and ultimately tragic filmmakers," Ray was considered an iconoclastic auteur director who often clashed with the Hollywood studio system of the time, but would prove highly influential to future generations of filmmakers. His best-known work is the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean. He is appreciated for many narrative features produced between 1947 and 1963, including They Live By Night (1948), In A Lonely Place (1950), Johnny Guitar (1954), Bigger Than Life (1956), and King of Kings (1961), as well as an experimental work produced throughout the 1970s titled We Can't Go Home Again, which was unfinished at the time of Ray's death. During his lifetime, Ray was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Rebel Without a Cause, twice for the Golden Lion, for Bigger Than Life (1956) and Bitter Victory (1957), and a Palme d'Or for The Savage Innocents (1960). Three of his films were ranked by Cahiers du Cinéma in their Annual Top 10 Lists. Ray's compositions within the CinemaScope frame and use of color are particularly well regarded and he was an important influence on the French New Wave, with Jean-Luc Godard famously writing in a review of Bitter Victory, "... there is cinema. And the cinema is Nicholas Ray."


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Rebel Without a Cause

as Man in Last Shot (uncredited)
Released: 1955-10-27

After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate,...

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Hair

as The General
Released: 1979-03-15

Upon receiving his draft notice and leaving his family ranch in Oklahoma, Claude heads to New...

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55 Days at Peking

as US Minister (uncredited)
Released: 1963-05-06

Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the...

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The American Friend

as Derwatt
Released: 1977-06-24

Tom Ripley, an American who deals in forged art, is slighted at an auction in Hamburg by picture...

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

as Bakery Clerk (uncredited)
Released: 1945-02-28

In Brooklyn circa 1900, the Nolans manage to enjoy life on pennies despite great poverty and...

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Lightning Over Water

as Self
Released: 1980-10-01

Director 'Nicholas Ray' is eager to complete a final film before his imminent death from cancer....

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Profile of Nicholas Ray

as Self
Released: 1977-04-16

An interview with the American film director which was first broadcast on the CBS-TV television...

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Don't Expect Too Much

as Himself
Released: 2011-10-03

Documentary about director/artist Nicholas Ray and his time as a University professor

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We Can't Go Home Again

as Nick Ray
Released: 1973-05-10

Nicholas Ray plays himself, acting as mentor, friend, and artistic inspiration to his students...

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Edge of Outside

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2006-06-11

An hour-long documentary designed to celebrate the spirit of the independent filmmaker from D.W....

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Vanity Fair: Jeanette Starion the Pet of the Year

as uncredited
Released: 1990-11-26

Jeanette Dyrkjær, better known as Jeanette Starion, was a sought after nude and porn model in...

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I'm a Stranger Here Myself

as Self
Released: 1975-01-17

A portrait of legendary filmmaker Nicholas Ray while he is working as a film professor at a...

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James Dean: The First American Teenager

as Self
Released: 1975-09-30

Stacy Keach narrates this documentary that chronicles the abbreviated life and career of iconic...

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Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents

as Himself (uncredited)
Released: 2005-01-01

Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents is a documentary chronicling the production of the film.

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