Alan J. Pakula

Directing

Alan J. Pakula

Born
Died
(aged 70)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
Credits
33 titles

Biography

Alan Jay Pakula (/pəˈkuːlə/; April 7, 1928 – November 19, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Associated with the New Hollywood movement, his best-known works include his critically acclaimed "paranoia trilogy": the neo-noir mystery Klute (1971), the conspiracy thriller The Parallax View (1974), and the Watergate scandal drama All the President's Men (1976). His other notable films included Comes a Horseman (1978), Starting Over (1979), Sophie's Choice (1982), Presumed Innocent (1990), and The Pelican Brief (1993).

Pakula received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for All the President's Men and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sophie's Choice. He was also nominated for Best Picture for producing To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Additionally, he was a BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Directors Guild of America Award nominee.

Pakula's films often dealt with psychological and political themes. His obituary in The New York Times stated Pakula made "different kinds of movies, all of them intended to entertain, but the thread connecting many of them was a style that emphasized and explored the psychology and motivations of his characters." He was the subject of the 2023 documentary Alan Pakula: Going for Truth.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Alan J. Pakula, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Signature work

Known For

Acting credits 10

YearTitleRole
2020 Citizen Jane Fonda Film Self (archive footage)
2020 Meryl Streep: Mystery and Metamorphosis Film Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
1998 Fearful Symmetry Film Self
1985 George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey Film Self
1976 Pressure and the Press: The Making of 'All the President's Men' Film Self
1971 'Klute' in New York Film Self
1971 Film '72 TV Self (1 ep)
1968 The Dick Cavett Show TV Self - Guest (1 ep)
1961 Hollywood: The Selznick Years Film Self (uncredited)
1953 The Oscars TV Self (1 ep)

Crew credits 23

YearTitleJob
1997 The Devil's Own Film Director
1993 The Pelican Brief Film Director, Screenplay, Producer
1992 Consenting Adults Film Director, Producer
1990 Presumed Innocent Film Director, Screenplay
1989 See You in the Morning Film Director, Writer, Producer
1987 Orphans Film Director, Producer
1986 Dream Lover Film Director, Producer
1982 Sophie's Choice Film Director, Screenplay, Producer
1981 Rollover Film Director
1979 Starting Over Film Director, Producer
1978 Comes a Horseman Film Director
1976 All the President's Men Film Director
1974 The Parallax View Film Director, Producer
1973 Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing Film Director, Producer
1971 Klute Film Director, Producer
1969 The Sterile Cuckoo Film Director, Producer
1968 The Stalking Moon Film Producer
1967 Up the Down Staircase Film Producer
1966 Inside Daisy Clover Film Producer
1965 Baby the Rain Must Fall Film Producer
1963 Love with the Proper Stranger Film Producer
1962 To Kill a Mockingbird Film Producer
1957 Fear Strikes Out Film Producer
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