John Ford - Overview - MSN Movies

John Ford

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Overview

John Ford
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Director, Producer
Born:
February 1, 1895 in Cape Elizabeth, ME
Death:
August 31, 1973 in Palm Desert, CA
Biography:Maine-born "John Ford" (born Sean Aloysius O'Fearna) originally went to Hollywood in the shadow of his older brother, Francis, an actor/writer/director who had worked on Broadway. Originally a laborer, propman's assistant, and occasional stuntman for his brother, he rose to became an assistant director and supporting actor before turning to directing in 1917. Ford became best known for his Westerns, of which he made dozens through the 1920s, but he didn't achieve status as a major director until the mid-'30s, when his films for RKO ("The Lost Patrol" [1934], "The Informer" [1935]), 20th Century Fox ("Young Mr. Lincoln" [1939], "The Grapes of Wrath" [1940]), and "Walter Wanger" ("Stagecoach" [1939]), won over the public, the critics, and earned various Oscars and Academy nominations. His 1940s films included one military-produced documentary co-directed by Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland, December... Full Biography
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