Film studio · Public domain

Born Willi Wyler in Alsace-Lorraine, he emigrated to the United States in 1921 and by 1925 was Universal's youngest director; he went on to receive more Best Director nominations, twelve, than anyone else in Academy history, winning three times for Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Ben-Hur. Colleagues called him a perfectionist for his relentless retakes, a reputation earned across adaptations of Wuthering Heights, The Little Foxes, and Roman Holiday.