Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writing

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Born February 11, 1909 · Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

Died February 5, 1993 · aged 83

Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (/ˈmæŋkəwɪts/ MANG-kə-wits; February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American filmmaker. A four-time Academy Award winner, he is best known for his witty and literate dialogue and his preference for voice-over narration and narrative flashbacks. Also known as an actor's director, Mankiewicz directed several prominent actors, including Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart and Eliz…

Known For

CleopatraCleopatra · 1963
Cleopatra
7.11963
MovieDramaHistory
Determined to hold on to the throne, Cleopatra seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony, who vows to take power—but Caesar’s successor has other plans.
The Philadelphia StoryThe Philadelphia Story · 1940
The Philadelphia Story
7.61940
MovieComedyRomance
When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
The PirateThe Pirate · 1948
The Pirate
6.51948
MovieMusicRomance
A girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
All About EveAll About Eve · 1950
All About Eve
8.11950
MovieDrama
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.
DragonwyckDragonwyck · 1946
Dragonwyck
6.61946
MovieDramaRomance
A simple Connecticut farm girl is recruited by a distant relative, an aristocratic patroon, to be governess to his young daughter in his Hudson Valley mansion.
House of StrangersHouse of Strangers · 1949
House of Strangers
6.91949
MovieDramaCrime
Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.
The Barefoot ContessaThe Barefoot Contessa · 1954
The Barefoot Contessa
6.71954
MovieDrama
A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant Maria Vargas dancing in a Madrid nightclub. Goaded by his producer, the director convinces Maria to screen test for, and then star in, his next big picture. But as the producer's possessive nature and the realities of stardom weigh on Maria, she seeks a genuine lover with whom she can escape.
Our Daily BreadOur Daily Bread · 1934
Our Daily Bread
6.71934
MovieDramaRomance
John and Mary Sims are city-dwellers hit hard by the financial fist of The Depression. Driven by bravery (and sheer desperation) they flee to the country and, with the help of other workers, set up a farming community - a socialist mini-society. The newborn community suffers many hardships - drought, vicious raccoons and the long arm of the law - but ultimately pull together to reach a bread-based Utopia.

Movies

CleopatraCleopatra · 1963
Cleopatra
7.11963
MovieDramaHistory
Determined to hold on to the throne, Cleopatra seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony, who vows to take power—but Caesar’s successor has other plans.
The Philadelphia StoryThe Philadelphia Story · 1940
The Philadelphia Story
7.61940
MovieComedyRomance
When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
The PirateThe Pirate · 1948
The Pirate
6.51948
MovieMusicRomance
A girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
All About EveAll About Eve · 1950
All About Eve
8.11950
MovieDrama
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.
DragonwyckDragonwyck · 1946
Dragonwyck
6.61946
MovieDramaRomance
A simple Connecticut farm girl is recruited by a distant relative, an aristocratic patroon, to be governess to his young daughter in his Hudson Valley mansion.
House of StrangersHouse of Strangers · 1949
House of Strangers
6.91949
MovieDramaCrime
Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.
The Barefoot ContessaThe Barefoot Contessa · 1954
The Barefoot Contessa
6.71954
MovieDrama
A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant Maria Vargas dancing in a Madrid nightclub. Goaded by his producer, the director convinces Maria to screen test for, and then star in, his next big picture. But as the producer's possessive nature and the realities of stardom weigh on Maria, she seeks a genuine lover with whom she can escape.
Our Daily BreadOur Daily Bread · 1934
Our Daily Bread
6.71934
MovieDramaRomance
John and Mary Sims are city-dwellers hit hard by the financial fist of The Depression. Driven by bravery (and sheer desperation) they flee to the country and, with the help of other workers, set up a farming community - a socialist mini-society. The newborn community suffers many hardships - drought, vicious raccoons and the long arm of the law - but ultimately pull together to reach a bread-based Utopia.
Julius CaesarJulius Caesar · 1953
Julius Caesar
7.11953
MovieDramaHistory
The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but both have sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
SleuthSleuth · 1972
Sleuth
7.71972
MovieThrillerMystery
A man who loves games and theatre invites his wife's lover to meet, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.
5 Fingers5 Fingers · 1952
5 Fingers
7.61952
MovieThrillerDrama
During WWII, the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.
Suddenly, Last SummerSuddenly, Last Summer · 1959
Suddenly, Last Summer
7.31959
MovieThrillerDrama
The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth.
Hello Actors StudioHello Actors Studio · 1988
Hello Actors Studio
6.71988
MovieDocumentary
After Lee Strasberg’s death in 1982, the most prestigious talents from the Actors Studio assumed the leadership of this exceptional organization. For the first time ever, filmmakers have been allowed to film their work.
Guys and DollsGuys and Dolls · 1955
Guys and Dolls
6.61955
MovieComedyCrime
In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a Salvation Army missionary to Havana, and unexpectedly they fall for each other. And the bet has a hidden motive ... classic song and dance ensues!
The Honey PotThe Honey Pot · 1967
The Honey Pot
6.41967
MovieComedyMystery
In Venice, a millionaire hires an actor to help him prank three greedy exes into thinking he's dying and leaving his fortune to one of them.
Alice in WonderlandAlice in Wonderland · 1933
Alice in Wonderland
6.11933
MovieFamilyFantasy
In Victorian England, a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland, populated by even more fantastic characters.
The Wild Man of BorneoThe Wild Man of Borneo · 1941
The Wild Man of Borneo
6.71941
MovieComedyRomance
A medicine show man tries to con people into believing he's a legitimate stage actor.
The Shopworn AngelThe Shopworn Angel · 1938
The Shopworn Angel
6.81938
MovieRomanceDrama
During WWI Bill Pettigrew, a naive young Texan soldier is sent to New York for basic training. He meets worldly wise actress Daisy Heath when her car nearly runs him over.
A Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol · 1938
A Christmas Carol
7.01938
MovieDramaFantasy
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
The Ghost and Mrs. MuirThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir · 1947
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
7.51947
MovieRomanceFantasy
In 1900, young widow Lucy Muir learns that her seaside cottage is haunted and forms a unique relationship with the ghost.
There Was a Crooked Man...There Was a Crooked Man... · 1970
There Was a Crooked Man...
6.81970
MovieWestern
A charming but ruthless criminal is sent to a remote Arizona prison, where he enlists the help of his cellmates in an escape attempt with the promise of sharing his hidden loot.
DiplomaniacsDiplomaniacs · 1933
Diplomaniacs
7.51933
MovieComedy
Barbers Willy Nilly and Hercules Glub have opened a barbershop in an Indian reservation, where they have no customers. When suddenly a white man asks for a shave, several Indians of the Oopadoop nation also enter, hearing the usual barbershop banter about foreign debts, they force them to be ambassadors of their nation at the Peace conference in Geneva. Ammunition industry executive Winkelreid is scheming to prevent their mission becoming an success, but the vamp Dolores aboard the ship fails, falling in love with Nilly, and so does Fifi, the toughest person of the world in Paris, falling for Glub. Although Winkelreid is able to steal their secret papers, Nilly and Glub don't give up after being reminded by constant observation of their Indians and enter the Peace conference, which turns out to be a battlefield...
The Gorgeous HussyThe Gorgeous Hussy · 1936
The Gorgeous Hussy
5.51936
MovieDramaHistory
It's the early nineteenth century Washington. Young adult Margaret O'Neal, Peggy to most that know her, is the daughter of Major William O'Neal, who is the innkeeper of the establishment where most out-of-town politicians and military men stay when they're in Washington. Peggy is pretty and politically aware. She is courted by several of those politicians and military men who all want to marry her, except for the one with who she is truly in love.
Reunion in FranceReunion in France · 1942
Reunion in France
6.41942
MovieDramaRomance
Frenchwoman Michele de la Becque, an opponent of the Nazis in German-occupied Paris, hides a downed American flyer, Pat Talbot, and attempts to get him safely out of the country.

TV Shows

The Mike Douglas ShowThe Mike Douglas Show · 1961
The Mike Douglas Show
5.81961
SeriesComedy
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
The Dick Cavett ShowThe Dick Cavett Show · 1968
The Dick Cavett Show
6.81968
Series
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.
The OscarsThe Oscars · 1953
The Oscars
7.01953
Series
An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.
The American Film Institute Salute to ...The American Film Institute Salute to ... · 1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
6.31973
Series
In 1973 the American Film Institute initiated its Life Achievement Award, to be presented to a yearly recipient whose talent has fundamentally advanced the film art; whose accomplishments have been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.