Nicholas Ray

Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Considered one of postwar American's most gifted, and ultimately, tragic filmmakers, he often clashed with the Hollywood studio system of the 1940s and 1950s, but would ultimately, influence future generations of filmmakers. His best known work is Rebel Without a Cause (1955), starring James Dean, in his final role. He also directed They Live By Night (1948), In a Lonely Place (1950), Johnny Guitar (1954), Bigger Than Life (1956), and King of Kings (1961). Throughout the 1970s, he produced the experimental We Can't Go Home Again (1973), which was unfinished at the time of his death. During his lifetime, Ray was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story 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, "... there is cinema. And the cinema is Nicholas Ray."