Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Carol Reed

Role / Field:

Pioneering English film director, celebrated for post-WWII thrillers and genre versatility.

Born:

1906-12-30

Died:

1976-04-25

Century / Era:

1906s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer. Considered one of the foremost British filmmakers of the post-World War II era, he achieved prominence in the late 1940s for his film noir thrillers Odd Man Out (1947), The Fallen Idol (1948), and The Third Man (1949). Odd Man Out was the first recipient of the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. The Fallen Idol won the second BAFTA Award for Best British Film.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The British Film Institute voted The Third Man the greatest British film of the 20th century. Reed's subsequent work crossed a variety of genres, including the Cold War satire Our Man in Havana (1959), the Michelangelo biopic The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), and the musical Oliver! (1968). The latter film earned Reed the Academy Award for Best Director, with two previous nominations for The Fallen Idol and The Third Man. In 1952, he became only the second British film director to be knighted for his craft.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

According to Screenonline, "for that brief time in the late 1940s Carol Reed was perhaps what some earlier critics had claimed him to be: the greatest director in the world." Carol Reed was born in Putney...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. J. P. Taylor — Contemporary (Born in 1906) (1906): Influential English historian specializing in 19th and 20th-century European diplomacy.
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• A Day at the Races (album) — Contemporary (Born in 1976) (1976): Queen's fifth studio album, a companion piece to A Night at the Opera.
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• Adolph Zukor — Contemporary (Died in 1976) (1976): Pioneering Hungarian-American film producer, co-founder of Paramount Pictures.
• Ahmed III — Shared historical date (12-30 · Born) (1673): Sultan of the Ottoman Empire during the period leading to the Tulip Era.
• Al-Qushayri — Shared historical date (12-30 · Died) (1072): Eminent Arab scholar, Sufi philosopher, and master of Islamic sciences.
• Al Pacino — Shared historical date (04-25 · Born) (1940): Intense American actor celebrated for his powerful stage and screen performances.
• Albert Uderzo — Shared historical date (04-25 · Born) (1927): Pioneering French comic artist, co-creator of the iconic Astérix series.
• 1906 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1906
• December 30 (12-30) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on December 30
• 1976 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1976
• April 25 (04-25) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on April 25

Frequently Asked Questions about Carol Reed