Celebrating William Wyler
His Hometown in Alsace Puts on a Hollywood Show

The festival in Mulhouse begins June 29.

William Wyler was Laurence Olivier's mentor, the love of Bette Davis's life, John Huston's best friend, Audrey Hepburn's inspiring taskmaster, and Barbra Streisand's father figure. His major motion pictures were touchstones for an entire generation. Wyler made 32 pictures — including: "Jezebel,"  "Dodsworth," and "Wuthering Heights" in the 1930s; "The Little Foxes"; "Mrs. Miniver," and "The Best Years of Our Lives" in the '40s; "Roman Holiday," "Ben-Hur," and "Funny Girl" in the '50s. He guided more actors to Academy Awards than any other director. He also won three Oscars himself.

“Olivier once told me he learned more about film acting from Wyler than from any other director; I can say the same,” Terence Stamp recalled in my Wyler biography A Talent for Trouble. Despite Wyler’s reputation as a demanding director who sometimes drove actors to tears, he was a beguiling personality in private.