Zoltan Korda (May 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, director and producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918 and worked with his brother Alexander Korda on film-making there and in London. They both moved to the United States in 1940 to Hollywood and the American film industry.

Early life and education

Born Zoltán Kellner (Kellner Zoltán, in Hungarian name order), of Jewish heritage, in Pusztatúrpásztó, Túrkeve,

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

(then Austria-Hungary), he was the middle brother of

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

and Vincent Korda, all of whom became filmmakers. Before leaving Hungary to work full-time in London with his brother Alexander, he (Zoltán) served in the Hungarian Army as a cavalry officer.

Career

As a young man, Korda went to work with his brother Alexander in their native Hungary and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

for his London Films production company. He functioned as a camera operator; for a time he worked in film editing and as a screenwriter. In 1918 and 1920 in Hungary, he directed two silent film shorts and a feature-length silent film in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1927. In London, he made his English-language directorial debut with the

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

drama '' Men of Tomorrow'' (1932). He gained wide respect for the adventure film '' Sanders of the River'' (1935), starring the American actor Paul Robeson and Leslie Banks. The film proved a significant commercial and critical success, giving Korda the first of his four nominations for "Best Film" at the Venice Film Festival. Korda and Robert Flaherty won the Venice festival's "Best Director" award for '' Elephant Boy'' (1937). A former cavalry officer in the Common Army, afterwards in the Austro-Hungarian Army in World War I, Korda made a number of military action/adventure films, many of which were filmed in Africa or

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Of his directorial efforts, 1939's '' The Four Feathers,'' starring Sir Ralph Richardson, is considered his greatest cinematic accomplishment. Of lasting significance, the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1939 Cannes Film Festival. In 2002 it was presented again by the Festival committee in retrospective. In 1940, Zoltan Korda joined his brother Alexander in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Working through United Artists, he served as executive producer of '' The Thief of Bagdad.'' Zoltan Korda spent the rest of his life in southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He made another seven films, including the acclaimed 1943

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

drama, '' Sahara'' (1943), for which he wrote the screenplay. It starred Humphrey Bogart. His films included '' A Woman's Vengeance'' (1947) with Charles Boyer and Jessica Tandy and the anti apartheid film '' Cry, the Beloved Country''.

Marriage and family

Korda married Olly Szokolay in 1921, divorcing in 1924. Korda married the British actress and dancer Joan Gardner in 1930. They were together until his death. They had 2 sons, David and Nicholas. The extended family's colorful history is the subject of a book by Zoltan's nephew Michael Korda, ''Charmed Lives''. Poor health, brought on years earlier from a battle with tuberculosis, forced Zoltan Korda's retirement in 1955. He died in 1961 in Hollywood after a lengthy illness. He was buried in the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery.''Resting Places''
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Filmography

Footnotes

External links

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David Korda talks to a class of schoolchildren about his film-making family
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Korda, Zoltan 1895 births 1961 deaths Hungarian emigrants to England Jews from Austria-Hungary Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery English emigrants to the United States English film directors English Jews English-language film directors English people of Hungarian-Jewish descent English male screenwriters Hungarian emigrants to the United States Hungarian film directors Hungarian male screenwriters Hungarian Jews 20th-century Hungarian screenwriters People from Túrkeve 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers Korda family