Michael Curtiz





Film director Michael Curtiz was born in 1886 in Budapest, Hungary (then
Austria-Hungary) and died in 1962 in Hollywood. In 1912 he began his acting
and directing career as Mih‡ly KertŽsz in Hungary (43 films) and, after
World War I, continued his work (another 21 titles) first in Vienna, Austria
(e.g. with the monumental 1922 silent film Sodom and Gomorrha) and then in
Germany.

In 1926 Curtiz emigrated to the United States. The interesting thing about
his Hollywood career is that he did not specialize in any one genre. His
lifelong struggle with the English language has been confirmed in numerous
anecdotes.

Select Hollywood filmography:

   * The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
   * Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
   * Dodge City (1939)
   * The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
   * The Seahawk (1940)
   * Casablanca (1942)
   * Mildred Pierce (1945)
   * Night and Day (1946) (starring Cary Grant as Cole Porter)
   * White Christmas (1954) (starring Bing Crosby)
   * The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960)