Director
Arthur Penn
Born 27 September 1922 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA — died 28 September 2010
Arthur Penn (1922–2010) was an American director who moved from theatre and television to film. His 1967 crime drama Bonnie and Clyde, with its violence and countercultural spirit, is widely credited with launching the New Hollywood era. His later films often reworked genres such as the Western and film noir.
Key films
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Landmark crime drama that helped launch New Hollywood and earned Penn an Oscar nomination for directing.
The Miracle Worker (1962)
Acclaimed adaptation of the play he had directed on Broadway; brought his first Best Director Oscar nomination.
Little Big Man (1970)
Revisionist Western that took a sympathetic view of Native Americans and questioned frontier myths.
Night Moves (1975)
Downbeat neo-noir with Gene Hackman, regarded as a defining thriller of the 1970s.
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
His debut feature, a psychological Western about Billy the Kid.
Key awards
- 1960 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (The Miracle Worker)
- Oscar nomination for Best Director, The Miracle Worker (1962 film)
- Oscar nomination for Best Director, Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
- Oscar nomination for Best Director, Alice's Restaurant (1969)
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 42
- 1955The BattlerDirector
- 1957Invitation to a GunfighterDirector
- 1957The Dark Side of the EarthDirector
- 1957Where's Charley?Director
- 1957The Miracle WorkerDirector
- 1958The Left Handed GunDirector
- 1958Portrait of a MurdererDirector
- 1962The Miracle WorkerDirector
- 1965Mickey OneDirector
- 1966The ChaseDirector
- 1967Bonnie and ClydeDirector
- 1969Alice's RestaurantDirector
- 1970Little Big ManDirector
- 1970Arthur Penn: The Director · as SelfActor
- 1973Visions of Eight · as NarratorActor
- 1973Visions of EightDirector
- 1975Night MovesDirector
- 1976The Missouri BreaksDirector
- 1981Four FriendsDirector
- 1985TargetDirector
- 1987Dead of WinterDirector
- 1988Hello Actors Studio · as SelfActor
- 1989Penn & Teller Get KilledDirector
- 1992Cinéma! Cinéma! The French New Wave · as SelfActor
- 1993Naked in New York · as SelfActor
- 1993The PortraitDirector
- 1994Marlon Brando: The Wild One · as SelfActor
- 1995Lumière & CompanyDirector
- 1995Arthur Penn: A Love Affair with FilmActor
- 1996InsideDirector
- 1996Nichols and May: Take Two · as SelfActor
- 1998Searching for Arthur · as SelfActor
- 2000In the Shadow of Hollywood · as SelfActor
- 2002Rosy-Fingered Dawn: A Film on Terrence Malick · as SelfActor
- 2002Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film · as Self (uncredited)Actor
- 2003Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood · as SelfActor
- 2005Filmmakers vs. Tycoons · as SelfActor
- 2006Filmmakers in Action · as SelfActor
- 2006Edge of Outside · as SelfActor
- 2008Revolution! The Making of 'Bonnie and Clyde' · as SelfActor
- 2010Godard Made in USA · as SelfActor
- 2016Mise en scène with Arthur Penn (a conversation) · as SelfActor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.