Image Courtesy: Google Doodle
Alfred Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a prominent English film director and producer whose impact on the history of cinema is widely acknowledged. Over the span of his six-decade career, he directed more than 50 feature films, many of which continue to be revered and analyzed today. Often referred to as the “Master of Suspense,” Hitchcock became just as recognizable as his actors, thanks to his frequent interviews, cameo appearances in most of his films, and his role as host and producer of the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–65). Despite receiving 46 Academy Award nominations for his films, including six wins, he never managed to secure the award for Best Director, despite being nominated five times.
Early Life
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on 13 August 1899 in the apartment above his parents’ rented greengrocer’s shop located at 517 High Road, Leytonstone, on the outskirts of east London (then part of Essex). He was the youngest of three children born to Emma Jane (née Whelan; 1863–1942) and William Edgar Hitchcock (1862–1914). He had a brother named William Daniel (1890–1943) and a sister named Ellen Kathleen (“Nellie”) (1892–1979). Both of his parents were Roman Catholics with ancestral connections to Ireland. His father worked as a greengrocer, a profession that had been passed down from his grandfather.
Legacy
Hitchcock’s legacy is deeply embedded in the world of cinema. He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 8 February 1960, one for his television work and another for his motion pictures. In 1978, he was described by John Russell Taylor as “the most universally recognizable person in the world” and a “straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius.” In 2002, MovieMaker magazine named him the most influential director of all time. A 2007 poll by The Daily Telegraph’s critics ranked him as Britain’s greatest director. Hitchcock’s impact on modern cinema is undeniable; his innovative storytelling style, characterized by skillful narrative manipulation and suspense-building techniques, has left an indelible mark. In 1992, the Sight & Sound Critics’ Poll ranked him fourth in its list of “Top 10 Directors” of all time. In the same publication’s 2002 poll, he ranked second in the critics’ top ten and fifth in the directors’ top ten lists of The Greatest Directors of All Time. He was also voted the “Greatest Director of the 20th Century” in a poll conducted by the Japanese film magazine Kinema Junpo.
On 12 August 2003, a Google Doodle was created to celebrate Alfred Hitchcock’s 104th Birthday.
