Laslo Benedek

Laslo Benedek

director, second unit director or assistant director, editor

Laslo Benedek was born on Mar 05, 1905 in Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. Laslo Benedek's big-screen debut came with Der Mann, der den Mord beging directed by Curtis Bernhardt in 1931. Laslo Benedek is known for Death of a Salesman directed by Laslo Benedek, Fredric March stars as Willy Loman and Mildred Dunnock as Linda Loman. Laslo Benedek has got 1 awards and 2 nominations so far. The most recent award Laslo Benedek achieved is Golden Globes, USA. The upcoming new movie Laslo Benedek plays is Assault on Agathon which will be released on Nov 14, 1977.

Laslo Benedek was brought to Hollywood from Hungary--where he had been a writer, editor and photographer--by MGM, and his first few films were undistinguished programmers. His third, however, was quite a bit better: Death of a Salesman (1951), the screen version of Arthur Miller's classic play. Although trashed by critics at the time for, among other things, its "staginess" (Benedek said that he wanted to keep the work's theatricality intact), overlooked is the fact that Benedek drew out convincing, evocative performances from Kevin McCarthy, Cameron Mitchell, Fredric March and Mildred Dunnock.Benedek's next film, however, is the one he'll be remembered for: The Wild One (1953). This granddaddy of all biker flicks is amusingly tame--some might even say lame--by today's standards, but it caused quite a commotion in its day (it was banned in England and was railed against by conservative religious and social pressure groups in the US as yet one more example of how Hollywood was "corrupting the youth of America"). The film is actually not all that much, being rather slow-going and the "bikers" coming across more like bratty teenagers than dangerous rampaging hoods, but it struck a chord with young people and parents alike--for different reasons, of course--and was far and away the most successful film of Benedek's career.

  • Birthday

    Mar 05, 1905
  • Place of Birth

    Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]

Known For

Awards

1 wins & 2 nominations

Golden Globes, USA
1952
Best Director
Winner - Golden Globe