
Nicholas Ray
Actor, Director, Writer
- Born
- 7 August 1911, Galesville, Wisconsin, USA
- Died
- 16 June 1979
- On Nahoko
- 22 titles
- Also known as
- 니콜라스 레이, Raymond Nicholas Kienzle
Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle; 7 August 1911 – 16 June 1979) was an American film director best known for the films Rebel Without a Cause and Johnny Guitar. Described by the Harvard Film Archive as "Hollywood's last romantic" and "one of postwar American cinema’s supremely gifted and ultimately tragic filmmakers," Ray was considered an iconoclastic auteur director who often clashed with the Hollywood studio system of the time, but would prove highly influential to future generations of filmmakers. His best-known work is the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean. He is appreciated for many narrative features produced between 1947 and 1963, including They Live By Night (1948), In A Lonely Place (1950), Johnny Guitar (1954), Bigger Than Life (1956), and King of Kings (1961), as well as an experimental work produced throughout the 1970s titled We Can't Go Home Again, which was unfinished at the time of Ray's death. During his lifetime, Ray was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Rebel Without a Cause, twice for the Golden Lion, for Bigger Than Life (1956) and Bitter Victory (1957), and a Palme d'Or for The Savage Innocents (1960). Three of his films were ranked by Cahiers du Cinéma in their Annual Top 10 Lists. Ray's compositions within the CinemaScope frame and use of color are particularly well regarded and he was an important influence on the French New Wave, with Jean-Luc Godard famously writing in a review of Bitter
Known for
★ 7.6Rebel Without a Cause1955
★ 7.5Hair1979
★ 7.9In a Lonely Place1950
★ 7.6Johnny Guitar1954
★ 7.4The American Friend1977
★ 7.4They Live by Night1948
★ 7.0King of Kings1961
★ 7.2On Dangerous Ground1951
★ 7.4Bigger Than Life1956
★ 6.755 Days at Peking1963
★ 6.3Flying Leathernecks1951
★ 6.6Knock on Any Door1949Career in numbers
- Years active
- 1948 – 1980
- Movies
- 22
- TV shows
- 0
- By decade
- 1940s: 3, 1950s: 13, 1960s: 3, 1970s: 2, 1980s: 1
- Main genres
- Drama (21), Crime (7), Film-Noir (7)
Frequent collaborators
As actor 2
Directed 20
★ 6.6Lightning Over Water1980
★ 6.755 Days at Peking1963
★ 7.0King of Kings1961
★ 6.8The Savage Innocents1960
★ 7.0Party Girl1958
★ 6.5Wind Across the Everglades1958
★ 6.7Bitter Victory1957
★ 6.2The True Story of Jesse James1957
★ 7.4Bigger Than Life1956
★ 7.6Rebel Without a Cause1955
★ 6.7Run for Cover1955
★ 7.6Johnny Guitar1954
★ 7.3The Lusty Men1952
★ 7.2On Dangerous Ground1951
★ 6.3Flying Leathernecks1951
★ 7.9In a Lonely Place1950
★ 6.6Born to Be Bad1950
★ 6.6Knock on Any Door1949
★ 6.0A Woman's Secret1949
★ 7.4They Live by Night1948
Robert Ryan3 titles together
Jay C. Flippen2 titles together
Humphrey Bogart2 titles together
John Derek2 titles together
Gloria Grahame2 titles together
Ward Bond2 titles together
Viveca Lindfors2 titles together
Jeffrey Hunter2 titles together