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Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 1998, and the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. Four of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
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entertainment · American film director and choreographer (1924–2019) · film director · film producer · dancer · choreographer · director · also Stanley Donen, Donen
Born 13 April 1924 · Died 21 February 2019 · Q48765
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Charade (Stanley Donen, 1963)
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2026· 11 entries
“doing Busby Berkeley here, only we”
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“a reaction against those backstage musicals.”
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“direct continuation from the Astaire – Rogers musicals ... which in turn came from René Clair and from Lubitsch ... What we did was not geared towards realism but towards the unreal.”
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“really cared about [the film] and gave three years of my life to it ... I think it”
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“desperately needed money for personal reasons.”
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“always wanted to make a movie like one of my favorites, Hitchcock”
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“developing plot, describing the setting while conveying its galvanizing atmosphere and manic mood, introducing and delineating character.”
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“responsible for most of the dance movements. I was behind the camera in the dramatic and musical sequences.”
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“Stanley needed a job. I needed someone to count for the cameraman, someone who knew the steps and could explain what I was going to do so the shot was set up correctly.”
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Moviefone: Stanley Donen You Just Do It - Where to Watch
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2019· 6 entries
Houston Chronicle: 'Singin’ in the Rain' director Stanley Donen dies at 94
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NBC 7 San Diego: Stanley Donen, director of 'Singin' in the Rain,' dies at 94
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Reuters: Director Stanley Donen, famed for landmark film 'Singin' in the Rain,' dies at 94
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Variety: Stanley Donen, Director of Iconic Movie Musicals, Dies at 94
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Died 2019-02-21.
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Donen died at age 94 from heart failure in New York City,
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2014· 2 entries
A retrospective of his work, "A Lotta Talent and a Little Luck: A Celebration of Stanley Donen", was held from July to August in Columbia, South Carolina
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In celebration of Donen's 90th birthday in 2014, a retrospective of his work, "A Lotta Talent and a Little Luck: A Celebration of Stanley Donen", was held from July to August in Columbia, South Carolina.
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2012· 1 entry
IndieWire: ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ Director Stanley Donen Prefers Dance Competition Shows to Modern Musicals These Days
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2010· 1 entry
He was the subject of the 2010 documentary Stanley Donen: You Just Do It.
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2006· 1 entry
Moviefone: Private Screenings: Stanley Donen (2006) - Where to Watch
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2004· 1 entry
Was awarded the Career Golden Lion at the 61st Venice International Film Festival
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2002· 1 entry
Donen directed Elaine May's musical play Adult Entertainment starring Danny Aiello and Jeannie Berlin in Stamford, Connecticut
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1998· 3 entries
Awarded Academy Honorary Award (1998).
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And the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2004
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Donen was chosen to receive the Honorary Academy Award at the 70th Academy Awards "in appreciation of a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit and visual innovation
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1993· 1 entry
Donen was preparing to produce and direct a movie musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde starring Michael Jackson
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1992· 1 entry
Donen said "I'm grateful to him, but I paid back the debt, ten times over
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1989· 4 entries
And has been included on Sight & Sound's prestigious list of "Top Ten Films" twice, in 1982 and in 2002
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At 84 in South Carolina, and Donen delivered the eulogy at her funeral
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Donen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of South Carolina
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His mother Helen died in 1989 at 84 in South Carolina, and Donen delivered the eulogy at her funeral.
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1986· 2 entries
Donen produced the televised ceremony of the 58th Academy Awards, which included a musical performance of the song "Once a Star, Always a Star" with June Allyson, Leslie Caron, Marge Champion, Cyd Charisse, Kathryn Grays
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Donen directed a musical sequence for an episode of the popular TV series Moonlighting and directed the music video for Lionel Richie's song "Dancing on the Ceiling", which employed the same rotating-room filming techniq
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1960· 2 entries
Had one son (Mark Donen, born 1962), and lived together in London
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They married in 1960, had one son (Mark Donen, born 1962), and lived together in London.
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1959· 1 entry
Donen's father Mordecai died at 59 in Beaufort, South Carolina
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1957· 1 entry
Donen became an independent producer and director
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1952· 1 entry
Donen and Marshall were married from 1952 to 1959.
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1946· 1 entry
Donen briefly returned to Broadway to help choreograph dance numbers for Call Me Mister
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1944· 2 entries
“I practiced my craft, working with music, track and photography. I often directed the sequences. I always tried to have an original idea about how to do musical sequences.”
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Donen and Kelly choreographed the musical Anchors Aweigh, released in 1945 and starring Kelly and Frank Sinatra
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1943· 1 entry
Arthur Freed, the producer of musical films at Metro Goldwyn Mayer, bought the film rights to Best Foot Forward and made a film version starring Lucille Ball and William Gaxton
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1942· 1 entry
Was the stage manager and assistant choreographer for Abbott's next show Beat the Band
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1933· 1 entry
“must have seen the picture thirty or forty times. I was transported into some sort of fantasy world where everything seemed to be happy, comfortable, easy and supported. A sense of well-being filled me.”
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1932· 1 entry
And includes one of Astaire's best remembered dance sequences, the "You're All the World to Me" number where he appears to defy gravity by dancing first on the walls and then on the ceiling
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1924· 2 entries
In Columbia, South Carolina to Mordecai Moses Donen, a dress-shop manager, and Helen (Cohen), the daughter of a jewelry salesman
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Born 1924-04-13.
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