- Born
- Died
- Birth nameHenri Leopold de Fiennes
- Nickname
- Hank
- Henry Hathaway, son of a stage actress and manager, started his career as a child actor in westerns directed by Allan Dwan. His movie career was interrupted by World War I. After his discharge he briefly tried a career in finance but returned to Hollywood to work as an assistant director under such directors as Frank Lloyd, Paul Bern, Josef von Sternberg and Victor Fleming, whom Hathaway credited for his eventual success. In 1932 he directed his first picture, Heritage of the Desert (1932), a western. His approach has been described as uncomplicated and straightforward, while at the same time noted for their striking visual effects and unusual locations. He had a reputation as being difficult on actors, but stars such as John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe benefited under his direction. Although Hathaway was a highly successful and reliable director working within the Hollywood studio system, his work has received little attention from critics.- IMDb mini biography by: Amy Harper <lookitup1@aol.com>
- SpousesBlanche (Skip) Gonzalez(March 12, 1932 - February 11, 1985) (his death, 1 child)Elvira Weil(July 1, 1919 - 1931) (divorced)
- He was shooting a scene on location on Wall Street in New York City. Many of the windows in the adjoining buildings were filled with office workers leaning out to watch the filming going on below them. Hathaway got so frustrated with all the attendant noise that he finally leaped out of his director's chair, looked upwards at the crowds and shouted, "God damn it, I don't look over your shoulders when you work!".
- Directed two actors to Oscar nominations: Richard Widmark (Best Supporting Actor, Kiss of Death (1947)), and John Wayne (Best Actor, True Grit (1969)). Wayne won an Oscar for his performance.
- At 14 he joined Universal Studios as a property boy but quit to work in juvenile roles. In WWI he was a gunnery instructor in the army. At 21 he returned to Hollywood again as a property man. When an assistant director became ill he got the chance to take over. Later he directed Westerns for Paramount who gave him his first non Western feature with 'Come on Marines' His ability to stage action films and a knowledge of India, acquired during a 9 month visit gave him the opportunity to direct 'Lives of a Bengal Lancer'. He became one of the top directors.
- Hathaway inherited the title of Marquis from his grandfather who was commissioned by the King of Belgium to acquire the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), with no success.
- Directed John Wayne in six movies: True Grit (1969), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), Circus World (1964), How the West Was Won (1962), North to Alaska (1960) and Legend of the Lost (1957).
- Being educated is making the pictures themselves, if you make it your business to pay attention.
- To be a good director, you've got to be a bastard. I'm a bastard and I know it.
- You don't have to hold an inquest to find out who killed Marilyn Monroe. Those bastards in the big executive chairs killed her.
- When I went to work in Universal Studios in 1914, there were five women directors. Lois Weber made the biggest pictures. John Ford and I alternated as prop men for this great director. If women haven't got a good directing job now, it's their own fault.
- There's lots of nice guys walking around Hollywood but they're not eating.
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