Guide Note

Stanley Kubrick was one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century. His films include 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket and The Shining.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: July 26, 1928 in New York City
2. Died: March 7, 1999
3. Avid chess player
4. Lived in England in his later years
5. Often disliked by actors who worked with him, including Kirk Douglas and Malcolm McDowell

Kubrick was born in New York City in 1928 and received his first job as a freelance photographer for Look Magazine while still a teenager. Working independently, and disdaining higher education, Kubrick created his first films with loans from family and friends and began showing his films in art house theatres in New York. Throughout his life, Kubrick remained fiercely independent and often spent many years working on the same film, or not working at all. In his later years, he settled permanently in England, where he died, in 1999.

Kubrick's first major successful film was the World War I drama Paths of Glory, starring Kirk Douglas. While he was nominated for Best Director for Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Barry Lyndon, Kubrick's only Oscar came for special effects in 2001. All of the above films except for 2001: A Space Odyssey were also nominated for Best Picture. Kubrick was renowned for being an especially difficult director to work for, demanding long hours from his actors, with multiple and repetitive takes.