Jean Negulesco (born Ioan Negulescu; – 18 July 1993) was a

Romanian-American Romanian Americans are Americans who have Romanian ancestry. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 478,278 Americans indicated Romanian as their first or second ancestry, however other sources provide higher estimates, which are most ...

film director and screenwriter.Oliver, Myrna
"Jean Negulesco 1900–1993
''The Los Angeles Times'', 22 July 1993. He first gained notice for his film noirs and later made such notable films as '' Johnny Belinda'' (1948), ''

How to Marry a Millionaire ''How to Marry a Millionaire'' is a 1953 American screwball comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays ''The Greeks Had a Word for It'' (1930) by Zoe Akins and ''Loc ...

'' (1953), ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'' (1953), and '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (1954). He was called "the first real master of

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

Biography

Early life

Born in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...

, Negulesco was the son of a hotel keeper and attended Carol I High School. When he was 15, he was working in a military hospital during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Georges Enesco George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history, Enescu is featured on the Romanian five lei. Biogr ...

, the Romanian composer, came to play the violin to the war wounded; Negulesco drew a portrait of him, and Enesco bought it. Negulesco decided to be a painter and studied art in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. Negulesco went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1920, and enrolled in the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

. He sold one of his paintings to Rex Ingram.

America

In 1927, he visited

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

for an exhibition of his paintings and settled there. He then made his way to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, at first working as a portraitist. He became interested in movies and made an experimental feature film, financed as well as written and directed by himself, called ''Three and a Day''. Through his contact with the film's star,

Mischa Auer Mischa Auer (born Mikhail Semyonovich Unkovsky (Михаил Семёнович Унковский; 17 November 1905 – 5 March 1967) was a Russians, Russian-born American actor who moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s. He first appeared in fi ...

, he managed to get a job at Paramount.

Paramount

He did the opening montage for the film musical ''

Tonight We Sing ''Tonight We Sing'' is a 1953 American musical biopic film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring David Wayne, Ezio Pinza and Roberta Peters. It is based on the life and career of the celebrated impresario Sol Hurok. The film is based on the 1 ...

'' and worked on ''

The Story of Temple Drake ''The Story of Temple Drake'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Stephen Roberts and starring Miriam Hopkins and Jack La Rue. It tells the story of Temple Drake, a reckless woman in the American South who falls into the hands of ...

'' and '' A Farewell to Arms'' (1932). He worked his way to assistant producer, second unit director.

Warner Brothers

Negulesco went to

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

in 1940. He made his reputation at Warner Bros by directing short subjects, particularly a series of band shorts featuring unusual camera angles and dramatic use of shadows and silhouettes. Negulesco's first feature film as director was ''

Singapore Woman ''Singapore Woman'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Brenda Marshall and David Bruce. The Warner Bros. B picture is a remake of '' Dangerous'' (1935) using leftover sets from '' The Letter'' (1940). The s ...

'' (1941). In 1948, he was nominated for an

Academy Award for Directing The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...

for '' Johnny Belinda''.

20th Century Fox

In 1948 Negulesco went to work for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. He was the first director to make two films in Fox's

- ''

'' and '' Three Coins in the Fountain''; the former receiving a nomination for a

BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until ...

. His 1959 movie '' The Best of Everything'' was on ''Entertainment Weeklys Top 50 Cult Films of All-Time. During his Hollywood career and in his 1984 autobiography ''Things I Did and Things I Think I Did'', Negulesco claimed to have been born on 29 February 1900; he apparently was motivated to make this statement because birthdays on

leap year day February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in mo ...

are comparatively rare (and even though 1900 was not a leap year in the Gregorian calendar, it was under the Julian calendar, which applied in Romania at that time). He has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 6212 Hollywood Blvd.

Death

From the late 1960s Negulesco lived in

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the r ...

, Spain, where he died, at age 93, of heart failure. He is buried in the Virgen del Carmen cemetery in Marbella.

Filmography

Shorts

*''Alice in Movieland'' (1940) *''The Flag of Humanity'' (1940) *''Joe Reichman and His Orchestra'' (1940) *''Henry Busse and His Orchestra'' (1940) *''Skinnay Ennis and His Orchestra'' (1941) *''The Dog in the Orchard'' (1941) *''Jan Garber and His Orchestra'' (1941) *''Cliff Edwards and His Buckaroos'' (1941) *''Freddie Martin and His Orchestra'' (1941) *''Marie Green and Her Merry Men'' (1941) *''Hal Kemp and His Orchestra'' (1941) *''Those Good Old Days'' (1941) *''University of Southern California Band and Glee Club'' (1941) *''Carioca Serenaders'' (1941) *''At the Stroke of Twelve'' (1941) *''

The Gay Parisian ''The Gay Parisian'' is an American short film produced in 1941 by Warner Bros. and directed by Jean Negulesco. The film is a screen adaptation, in Technicolor, of the 1938 ballet ''Gaîté Parisienne'', choreographed by Léonide Massine to mus ...

'' (1941) *''Carl Hoff and His Orchestra'' (1942) *''Calling All Girls'' (1942) *''The Playgirls'' (1942) *''Spanish Fiesta'' (1942) *''The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady'' (1942) *''Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra'' (1942) *''The Spirit of Annapolis'' (1942) *''Six Hits and a Miss'' (1942) * ''

United States Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in th ...

'' (1942) *''Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica School'' (1942) *''The United States Army Air Force Band'' (1942) *''A Ship Is Born'' (1942) *''Army Show'' (1942) *''Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra'' (1943) *''Three Cheers for the Girls'' (1943) *''The All American Bands'' (1943) *''All Star Melody Masters'' (1943) *''Childhood Days'' (1943) *''Hit Parade of the Gay Nineties'' (1943) *'' Women at War'' (1943) *''

Cavalcade of Dance ''Cavalcade of Dance'' is a 1943 American short film released by Warner Bros. Pictures and directed by Jean Negulesco. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 16th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (One-Reel). Cast * Veloz and Yolanda ...

'' (1943) *''Sweetheart Serenade'' (1943) *''Food and Magic'' (1943) *''Over the Wall'' (1943) *''The Voice That Thrilled the World'' (1943) *''The United States Service Bands'' (1943) *''The United States Army Band'' (1944) *''Roaring Guns'' (1944) *''Grandfather's Follies'' (1944) *''South American Sway'' (1944) *''Listen to the Bands'' (1944) * ''

The Dark Wave ''The Dark Wave'' is a 1956 American short documentary film directed by Jean Negulesco about a young girl with severe epilepsy. The short stars Charles Bickford and features Nancy Davis, the actress who would later become First Lady of the Uni ...

'' (1956)

Feature films

*''

Crash Donovan ''Crash Donovan'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Nigh and Jean Negulesco and starring Jack Holt, John 'Dusty' King and Nan Grey.Schlossheimer p.110 It marked the directorial debut of the Romanian-born Negulesco. Partial cas ...

'' (1936) *''

City for Conquest ''City for Conquest'' is a 1940 American epic drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Arthur Kennedy. The picture is based on the 1936 novel of the same name by Aben Kandel. The supporting cast features ...

'' (1940) (uncredited) * ''

'' (1941) * ''

The Mask of Dimitrios ''The Mask of Dimitrios'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same title written by Eric Ambler (in the United States, it was published as ''A Coffin for Dimitrios'' ...

'' (1944) * '' The Conspirators'' (1944) * ''

Three Strangers ''Three Strangers'' is a 1946 American film noir crime drama directed by Jean Negulesco, written by John Huston and Howard Koch, starring Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Peter Lorre, and featuring Joan Lorring and Alan Napier. Pl ...

'' (1946) * '' Nobody Lives Forever'' (1946) * ''

Humoresque Humoresque (or Humoreske) is a genre of Romantic music characterized by pieces with fanciful humor in the sense of mood rather than wit. History The name refers to the German term ''Humoreske'', which was given from the 1800s (decade) onward to h ...

'' (1946) * '' Deep Valley'' (1947) * '' Johnny Belinda'' (1948) * '' Road House'' (1948) * ''

The Forbidden Street ''The Forbidden Street'' is a 1949 British melodrama film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Dana Andrews, Maureen O'Hara, Sybil Thorndike, Fay Compton and A. E. Matthews. Set in Victorian London, it tells the story of a wealthy young wo ...

'' (1949) * ''

Three Came Home ''Three Came Home'' is a 1950 American post-war film directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the memoirs of the same name by writer Agnes Newton Keith. It depicts Keith's life in North Borneo in the period immediately before the Japanese invasi ...

'' (1950) * '' Under My Skin'' (1950) * ''

Take Care of My Little Girl ''Take Care of My Little Girl'' is a 1951 drama film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Jeanne Crain, Dale Robertson, Mitzi Gaynor and Jean Peters. The film, shot in Technicolor, is based on the 1950 novel of the same name written by Peggy ...

'' (1951) * ''

The Mudlark ''The Mudlark'' is a 1950 film made in Britain by 20th Century Fox. It is a fictional account of how Queen Victoria was eventually brought out of her mourning for her dead husband, Prince Albert. It was directed by Jean Negulesco, written and ...

'' (1951) * ''

Lydia Bailey ''Lydia Bailey'' is a 1952 American historical film directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the novel of the same name by Kenneth Roberts. It stars Dale Robertson and Anne Francis. Plot In 1802, lawyer Albion Hamlin travels from Baltimore to Cap ...

'' (1952) * ''

Lure of the Wilderness ''Lure of the Wilderness'' is a 1952 romantic adventure Technicolor film directed by Jean Negulesco and based on the 1941 novel ''Swamp Water'' by Vereen Bell. The film is a remake of Jean Renoir's 1941 adaption of the novel. Walter Brennan ...

'' (1952) * ''

O. Henry's Full House ''O. Henry's Full House'' is a 1952 American anthology film made by 20th Century Fox, consisting of five films, each based on a story by O. Henry. The film was produced by André Hakim and directed by five directors from five screenplays with di ...

'' (1952) (segment) * ''

Phone Call from a Stranger ''Phone Call from a Stranger'' is a 1952 American film noir drama film directed by Jean Negulesco from a screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, based on the 1950 novelette of the same name by I. A. R. Wylie. The film centers on the survivor of an ai ...

'' (1952) * ''

'' (1953) * ''

Scandal at Scourie ''Scandal at Scourie'' is a 1953 American drama Technicolor film directed by Jean Negulesco, starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon "above the title", and co-starring Donna Corcoran. Garson and Pidgeon were together for the 8th and last time in t ...

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1953) * '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (1954) * ''

River of No Return ''River of No Return'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. The screenplay by Frank Fenton is based on a story by Louis Lantz, who borrowed his premise from the 1948 Italia ...

'' (1954) (uncredited) * ''

Woman's World ''Woman's World'' is an American supermarket weekly magazine with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Printed on paper generally associated with tabloid publications and priced accordingly, it concentrates on short articles about subjects such a ...

'' (1954) * ''

The Rains of Ranchipur ''The Rains of Ranchipur'' is a 1955 American drama and disaster film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Frank Ross from a screenplay by Merle Miller, based on the 1937 novel ''The Rains Came'' by Louis ...

'' (1955) * '' Daddy Long Legs'' (1955) * ''

Boy on a Dolphin ''Boy on a Dolphin'' is a 1957 American romantic adventure film from 20th Century Fox set in Greece and shot in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Samuel G. Engel from a screenplay by Ivan Moffat an ...

'' (1957) * ''

A Certain Smile ''A Certain Smile'' was originally published in French as ''Un certain sourire'' by the Paris publisher Juillard in 1956. It was the second novel by Françoise Sagan and was written in two months. Two translations into English then followed in 195 ...

'' (1958) * ''

The Gift of Love ''The Gift of Love'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope drama romance film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack. The film's screenplay was based on the short story "The Little Horse" by Nelia Gardner White, origi ...

'' (1958) * '' Count Your Blessings'' (1959) * '' The Best of Everything'' (1959) * '' Jessica'' (1962) * '' The Pleasure Seekers'' (1964) * ''

The Invincible Six ''The Invincible Six'' is a 1970 American-Iranian adventure film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Stuart Whitman, Elke Sommer, Curd Jürgens, and Ian Ogilvy. Six international criminals attempt to steal the crown jewels of Iran, but i ...

'' (1970) * '' Hello-Goodbye'' (1970)

Notes

References

*Michelangelo Capua, "Jean Negulesco. The Life and the Films," McFarland, Jefferson, N.C., 2017 * Leff, Leonard J. "What in the World Interests Women? Hollywood, Postwar America, and 'Johnny Belinda.'" ''Journal of American Studies'' 31#32 (1997), pp. 385–405
online
h1>

External links

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

Jean and Dusty Negulesco papers
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Jean Negulesco Hollywood Star Walk
''Los Angeles Times'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Negulesco, Jean 1900 births 1993 deaths American film directors Carol I National College alumni People from Craiova Romanian emigrants to the United States Romanian scenic designers 20th-century Romanian painters

Biography

Early life

America

Paramount

Warner Brothers

20th Century Fox

Death

Filmography

Shorts

Feature films

Archive

Notes

References