John Ford

Directing

John Ford

Born February 1, 1894 · Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA

Died August 31, 1973 · aged 79

John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His four Academy Awards for Best Director (1935, 1940, 1941, 1952) is a record, and one of those fil…

Known For

UnforgivenUnforgiven · 1992
Unforgiven
7.91992
MovieWestern
William Munny is a retired, once-ruthless killer turned gentle widower and hog farmer. To help support his two motherless children, he accepts one last bounty-hunter mission to find the men who brutalized a prostitute. Joined by his former partner and a cocky greenhorn, he takes on a corrupt sheriff.
The SearchersThe Searchers · 1956
The Searchers
7.71956
MovieWestern
As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.
StagecoachStagecoach · 1939
Stagecoach
7.61939
MovieWestern
A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.
The Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance · 1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
7.81962
MovieWestern
Questions arise when Senator Stoddard attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance. As the territory's safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance.
How the West Was WonHow the West Was Won · 1962
How the West Was Won
7.01962
MovieWestern
The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.
Two Rode TogetherTwo Rode Together · 1961
Two Rode Together
6.41961
MovieWestern
Two tough westerners bring home a group of settlers who have spent years as Comanche hostages.
3 Godfathers3 Godfathers · 1948
3 Godfathers
6.71948
MovieWestern
Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert, even at the risk of their own lives.
My Darling ClementineMy Darling Clementine · 1946
My Darling Clementine
7.51946
MovieWestern
Three brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find one of their brothers dead and their cattle stolen. They decide to take revenge on the culprits.

Movies

UnforgivenUnforgiven · 1992
Unforgiven
7.91992
MovieWestern
William Munny is a retired, once-ruthless killer turned gentle widower and hog farmer. To help support his two motherless children, he accepts one last bounty-hunter mission to find the men who brutalized a prostitute. Joined by his former partner and a cocky greenhorn, he takes on a corrupt sheriff.
The SearchersThe Searchers · 1956
The Searchers
7.71956
MovieWestern
As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.
StagecoachStagecoach · 1939
Stagecoach
7.61939
MovieWestern
A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.
The Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance · 1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
7.81962
MovieWestern
Questions arise when Senator Stoddard attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance. As the territory's safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance.
How the West Was WonHow the West Was Won · 1962
How the West Was Won
7.01962
MovieWestern
The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.
Two Rode TogetherTwo Rode Together · 1961
Two Rode Together
6.41961
MovieWestern
Two tough westerners bring home a group of settlers who have spent years as Comanche hostages.
3 Godfathers3 Godfathers · 1948
3 Godfathers
6.71948
MovieWestern
Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert, even at the risk of their own lives.
My Darling ClementineMy Darling Clementine · 1946
My Darling Clementine
7.51946
MovieWestern
Three brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find one of their brothers dead and their cattle stolen. They decide to take revenge on the culprits.
The Quiet ManThe Quiet Man · 1952
The Quiet Man
7.31952
MovieRomanceComedy
An American man returns to the village of his birth in Ireland, where he finds love and conflict.
The Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of Wrath · 1940
The Grapes of Wrath
7.81940
MovieDrama
Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.
Mighty Joe YoungMighty Joe Young · 1949
Mighty Joe Young
6.41949
MovieAdventureFantasy
A young woman, Jill Young, grew up on her father's ranch in Africa, raising a large gorilla named Joe from an infant. Years later, she brings him to Hollywood to become a star.
The AlamoThe Alamo · 1960
The Alamo
7.11960
MovieWarAdventure
The legendary true story of a small band of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.
Fort ApacheFort Apache · 1948
Fort Apache
7.01948
MovieWestern
Owen Thursday sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honour which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, he attempts to destroy the Apache chief Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico, against the advice of his subordinates.
Directed by John FordDirected by John Ford · 1971
Directed by John Ford
7.01971
MovieDocumentary
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
7 Women7 Women · 1965
7 Women
6.51965
MovieDramaHistory
In a mission in China in 1935, a group of women are preyed on by Mongolian bandits, led by Warlord chief Tunga Khan.
The Birth of a NationThe Birth of a Nation · 1915
The Birth of a Nation
6.01915
MovieDramaHistory
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.
Rio GrandeRio Grande · 1950
Rio Grande
6.81950
MovieWestern
Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.
How Green Was My ValleyHow Green Was My Valley · 1941
How Green Was My Valley
7.31941
MovieDrama
Huw Morgan, the academically inclined youngest son in a proud family of Welsh coal miners, witnesses the tumultuous events of his young life during a period of rapid social change. At the dawn of the 20th-century, a miners' strike divides the Morgans: the sons demand improvements, and the father doesn't want to rock the boat.
Young Mr. LincolnYoung Mr. Lincoln · 1939
Young Mr. Lincoln
7.21939
MovieDramaHistory
In this dramatized account of his early law career in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln is born into a modest log cabin, where he is encouraged by his first love, Ann Rutledge, to pursue law. Following her tragic death, Lincoln establishes a law practice in Springfield, where he meets a young Mary Todd. Lincoln's law skills are put to the test when he takes on the difficult task of defending two brothers who have been accused of murder.
Bare FistsBare Fists · 1919
Bare Fists
5.01919
MovieWestern
Harry's father is killed in a gunfight, and his mother makes him swear he'll never again use his gun, and rely only on his bare fists. But when his little brother is branded on the chest by cattle rustlers, will Harry break his promise?
Hoodman BlindHoodman Blind · 1923
Hoodman Blind
6.01923
MovieDrama
John Linden, a victim of wanderlust, jumbles up his life and that of his two daughters. One is a daughter by marriage, the other an offspring of Jessie Walton, a young woman of the village. Noting the resemblance of the two, unscrupulous Mark Lezzard, the sea town's only lawyer, arouses the jealousy of the first daughter's husband Jack Yeulette, the skipper of a fishing smack, hoping to gain her for himself and thereby obtain control over the money John provides for her on a regular basis. After much havoc, happiness is the lot of everyone except Lezzard, whom the crowd "fixes" when they learn of what a wretch he is. A lost film.
Donovan's ReefDonovan's Reef · 1963
Donovan's Reef
6.31963
MovieAdventureComedy
After her great aunt's death, a high-society woman arrives on a Hawaiian island in search of the heir - the father she has never met.
Wagon MasterWagon Master · 1950
Wagon Master
6.71950
MovieAdventureWestern
Two young horse traders guide a Mormon wagon train to the San Juan Valley and encounter rugged terrain, the cutthroat Clegg gang, hospitable Navajo, and moral challenges on the journey.
The Wings of EaglesThe Wings of Eagles · 1957
The Wings of Eagles
6.31957
MovieDramaWar
The story of Frank W. "Spig" Wead - a Navy-flyer turned screenwriter.

TV Shows

Wagon TrainWagon Train · 1957
Wagon Train
6.61957
SeriesWesternDrama
The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire, and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller a year after Horton had decided to leave the series. The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond, and harkens back to the early widescreen wagon train epic The Big Trail starring John Wayne and featuring Bond in his first major screen appearance playing a supporting role. Horton's buckskin outfit as the scout in the first season of the television series resembles Wayne's, who also played the wagon train's scout in the earlier film.
Alcoa PremiereAlcoa Premiere · 1961
Alcoa Premiere
6.01961
SeriesDrama
Alcoa Premiere is an American anthology drama series that aired from October 1961 to July 1963 on ABC. The series was hosted by Fred Astaire, directed by Norman Lloyd and executive produced by Alfred Hitchcock.
Screen Director's PlayhouseScreen Director's Playhouse · 1955
Screen Director's Playhouse
7.01955
SeriesComedyDrama
Presented by Eastman Kodak, this show was a series of original scripts directed by acclaimed directors and featuring well-known performers. The stories ranged from musicals to comedies and dramas.
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.
Five Came BackFive Came Back · 2017
Five Came Back
7.22017
SeriesDocumentary
Five acclaimed contemporary directors tell the story of five legendary Hollywood filmmakers who enlisted in the armed forces to document World War II.