Who was John Huston? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: John Marcellus Huston

Died At Age: 81

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Celeste Shane (1972–1977; divorced), Dorothy Harvey (1925–1933; divorced), Enrica Soma (1950–1969; her death), Evelyn Keyes (1946–1950; divorced), Lesley Black (1937–1945; divorced)

father: Walter Huston

mother: Rhea Huston

children: Allegra, Anjelica, Danny, Pablo, Tony

Born Country: United States

Actors Directors

Height: 6'2" (188 cm), 6'2" Males

Died on: August 28, 1987

place of death: Middletown, Rhode Island, United States

Ancestry: American Irish, Canadian American, British American

Notable Alumni: Art Students League Of New York

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

U.S. State: Missouri

More Facts

education: Art Students League Of New York

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Childhood & Early Life

John Marcellus Huston was born on August 5, 1906, in Nevada, Missouri, US, the only child of Rhea (née Gore) and Walter Huston. His mother was a newspaper reporter while his father was a flamboyant character actor of the stage. John began performing on stage with his father at age three.

His parents divorced when John was seven. Following their separation, he divided his time between traveling around the vaudeville circuit with his father and the country with his mother on reporting excursions.

As a teenager, he grew restless for adventure and quit school to pursue a more exciting life. Strong and well-built, he became a boxer and eventually won the Amateur Lightweight Boxing Championship of California, winning 22 of 25 bouts. A serious injury forced him to abandon boxing and he enrolled in Los Angeles' Smith School of Art to pursue painting.

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Career

Writing was another one of the talented young man’s passions and he worked as a journalist for the ‘New York Daily Graphic’ for a while before venturing into Hollywood looking for a position as a screenwriter.

He was employed by the Universal Studios, where his father was by then a star. John wrote dialogues for number of films in 1932, including ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’, ‘A House Divided’, and ‘Law and Order.’ During this time he accidentally killed a female pedestrian when the car he was driving struck her. Even though he was not legally implicated, the incident shook him to the core and he aimlessly drifted through life for the next five years.

He resolved to rebuild his career as a writer in 1937 and found a job as scriptwriter with Warner Brothers Studio. Over the next four years he co-wrote scripts for major films like ‘Jezebel’, ‘The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse’, ‘Juarez’, ‘Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet.’

He turned director in 1941 with the Dashiell Hammett's detective thriller, ‘The Maltese Falcon.’ The film starred Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, a hard-boiled detective. A huge hit, the film marked the beginning of Huston’s successful directorial career.

He served in the United States Army during World War II to make films for the Army Signal Corps. During his army career he directed and produced three films: ‘Report from the Aleutians’ (1943), ‘The Battle of San Pietro’ (1945), and ‘Let There Be Light’ (1946).

In 1951, he directed ‘The African Queen’, a story based on C. S. Forester's popular novel. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in a combination of romance, comedy and adventure, the film was a big hit and earned John Huston nominations for two Academy Awards—best director and best screenplay.

His career continued to flourish throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Over the duration of his long career he also had the privilege of directing his father, and later his daughter in some critically acclaimed films that earned them Academy Awards.

During the 1960s, he ventured into serious acting as well and appeared in films like ‘The Cardinal’ (1963), ‘Battle for the Planet of the Apes’ (1973), ‘Chinatown’ (1974), and ‘The Wind and the Lion’ (1975). He directed his last film ‘The Dead’ in 1987 and it was released posthumously.

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Major Works

His film, ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’, a dramatic adventure western about two financially desperate Americans who prospect for gold in Mexico was a big commercial hit at the time of its release. In 1990, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

’Moulin Rouge,’ a drama film he directed, is counted among his most popular works. Set in Paris in the late 19th century, the film follows the life of artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the city's bohemian sub-culture in and around the burlesque palace, the Moulin Rouge.

Awards & Achievements

John Huston won the Academy Award for Directing and Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay in 1948 for his work on ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.’

In 1960, Huston was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to motion pictures.

He received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America in 1965.

Personal Life & Legacy

John Huston was married five times, with four of his marriages ending in divorce. His first marriage to Dorothy Harvey lasted barely a year. His second and third marriages, to Lesley Black and Evelyn Louise Keyes, respectively, ended in divorce.

His fourth marriage was to Enrica Soma. This marriage also ran into trouble but the couple never divorced. Soma died in a car accident in 1969. His fifth and final marriage was to Celeste Shane which also ended in divorce like his first three marriages. He had several children from his marriages including daughter Anjelica Huston who grew up to be an actress and director.

He was a long term heavy smoker and suffered from emphysema. He died on August 28, 1987, at the age of 81.

Trivia

This American director has the unique distinction of directing both his father and his daughter in Academy Award-winning performances.

1949	Best Director	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
1949	Best Writing, Screenplay	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

1986	Best Director - Motion Picture	Prizzi's Honor (1985)
1964	Best Supporting Actor	The Cardinal (1963)
1949	Best Director	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

John Huston Biography