John Ford

There was a group of actors, known informally as the John Ford Stock Company (John Wayne , Harry Carey , John Carradine , Henry Fonda , etc.) that turned up regularly in Fords films. They knew how to work with Ford and each other, which suited Fords directing style: "I tell the actors what I want and they give it to me, usually on the first take.".

Father of Barbara Ford , grandfather of Dan Ford.

John Wayne usually called him by the nickname "Coach" or "Pappy" in private, but several times publicly, including during Waynes acceptance speech for the 1970 Oscar for Best Actor, Wayne called him "Admiral John Ford", in reference to Fords rank at retirement from the U.S. Naval Reserves.

In 1973 he was the first recipient of the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.

Younger brother of actor-director Francis Ford.

Supporting members of Fords "Stock Company" include Ward Bond , Ken Curtis , Jane Darwell , Francis Ford , Ben Johnson , Victor McLaglen , Mae Marsh , Mildred Natwick , John Qualen , Woody Strode , Tom Tyler and Patrick Wayne.

The character John Dodge in Fords movie The Wings of Eagles is a spoof of Ford.

He often used members of his family (including his two brothers, Francis Ford and Edward OFearna ) in his films, but only in subordinate roles. Patrick Ford recalled, "My conversations with him, as his only son--that I know of--were always Yessir, until one day I said no sir, and then I was no longer around. Our family life was pretty much that of a ship master and his crew, or a wagon master and his people. He gave the orders, and we carried them out".

His gravestone is marked "Admiral John Ford".

Godfather of actress Anna Massey.

Has referred to Northern Irish director Brian Desmond Hurst as his "cousin".

He was an infamously prickly personality, having constantly mocked John Wayne as a "big idiot" and having punched an unsuspecting Henry Fonda during the shooting of Mister Roberts .

Was voted the 3rd Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, right after Orson Welles , who himself considered Ford to be the best director of all time.

Embarrassed Jean-Luc Godard , then a young journalist for "Les Cahiers du Cinema", during an interview. When Godard asked the famous question, "What brought you to Hollywood?" Ford replied, "A train".

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890- 1945". Pages 360-369. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.

May be the most influential director of sound films on other directors. Many of the greatest directors of all time point directly to him as their favorite or one of their favorite filmmakers: Orson Welles , Akira Kurosawa , Sergio Leone (and his own star, Clint Eastwood ), Martin Scorsese , Steven Spielberg , Bernardo Bertolucci and many members of the French New Wave or their disciples, from Jean-Luc Godard to Franois Truffaut.

His apparently madcap affair with Katharine Hepburn , when both were married, inspired his friend Dudley Nichols to write the script for Bringing Up Baby . When (after Hepburn broke off her relationship with Ford) she began her lifelong affair with Spencer Tracy , Ford was allegedly incensed and, after the two had had a fruitful collaboration early on in their careers, he neither spoke with or worked with Tracy for about 20 years.

When his western Hell Bent (1918) for Universal was released, "Motion Picture News" praised Fords direction, writing, "Few directors put such sustained punch in their pictures as does this Mr. Ford." It was the ninth in a series of films featuring Harry Carey as "Cheyenne Harry", who was more of a saddle tramp than a conventional western hero.

While John Ford is the directors "Hollywood" name, and his American birth name is John Feeney, his Irish name was Sean Aloysius OFearna. Allegedly his parents referred to him as "Sean".

Directed ten different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Victor McLaglen , Thomas Mitchell , Edna May Oliver , Jane Darwell , Henry Fonda , Donald Crisp , Sara Allgood , Ava Gardner , Grace Kelly and Jack Lemmon. McLaglen, Mitchell, Darwell, Crisp and Lemmon won Oscars.

In 1973 he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Richard Nixon.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1640 Vine St. on February 8, 1960.

Prior to making The Searchers , Ford entered the hospital for the removal of cataracts. While recuperating after the surgery, he became impatient with the bandages covering his eyes and tore them off earlier than his doctors told him to. The result of that rash action was that Ford suffered a total loss of sight in one eye, which is how he came to wear his famous eyepatch.

Has won more directing Oscars than any other director: four, for The Informer (1935) , The Grapes of Wrath , How Green Was My Valley , and The Quiet Man (1952) . He also won an Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject for The Battle of Midway and an Oscar for Best Documentary for December 7th: The Movie .

Because his friends and colleagues John Wayne , James Stewart and Ward Bond were very conservative Republicans, many assumed that Ford was as well. According to his friends, family, and co-workers, nothing could be further from the truth, as he was an activist liberal Democrat. His favorite Presidents were Abraham Lincoln , Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Ford once went up to the right-wing Victor McLaglen and Wayne on a film set and said, "You know, all of you guys should stop complaining. You made your money under Roosevelt." Wayne, who hated Roosevelt, said nothing and changed the subject. His respect for Ford meant that politics were rarely discussed.

Ford was disgusted by John Wayne s refusal to enlist in 1941. When Ford filmed They Were Expendable after World War II he included every actors former military rank and branch (Ford himself was a Navy officer and combat photographer). Of course, there were no credentials behind Waynes name, which the actor took as a real slap.

Was the first director to receive back-to-back Best Director Oscars (1941 and 1942).

Enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserves in 1934, commissioned as a lieutenant commander. He served on reserve and active status until 1951, when Captain John Ford was retired with the honorary rank of Rear Admiral. While on active duty during World War II he worked with the Office of Strategic Services, predecessor to the CIA. While he produced a number of documentaries and training films for the OSS, perhaps one of his more notable achievements was a one-hour compilation of films which had been produced by order of Gen. (and future President) Dwight D. Eisenhower , showing liberated concentration camps. The film, Nazi Concentration Camps , was entered as evidence at the Nuremberg War Crime Trials.

A young would-be director once came to him for advice, and Ford pointed out two landscape photographs in his office. One had the horizon at the top of the picture, and the other had it at the bottom of the picture. Ford said "when you know why the horizon goes at the top of the frame or the bottom of a frame, then youre a director," and threw the kid out of his office. The would-be director was Steven Spielberg.

Was a character in "Short Letter, Long Farewell", a 1974 novel by the innovative Austrian writer and filmmaker Peter Handke.

Profiled in "Through a Catholic Lens: Religious Perspectives of 19 Film Directors from Around the World", ed. by Peter Malone. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007.

President Richard Nixon and California Gov. Ronald Reagan were present at the dinner at which Ford received the first American Film Institute dinner Lifetime Achievement Award. Nixon presented Ford with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and declared that, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he was promoting Rear Admiral John Ford to full Admiral for the remainder of the night. (It was 10:37 pm on the night of March 31, 1973, when Nixon began speaking). After the Presidents remarks, Ford responded with his own speech: "Thank you, sir. As [former POW] Captain Jeremiah Denton said--I hope I get through with this; I am about ready to bust out in crying--as Captain Denton said as he set foot for the first time in many years on continental American soil, I am stunned and bewildered at this reception. He ended with God bless America. I quote his words with feeling. There are some people in this world who dont think that we movie folks have any religion, but a glance around this distinguished audience is living refutation of that nonsense. In a recent telephone conversation with the President, he said, What is your reaction to the prisoners coming home? I said, Frankly, sir, I broke down and blubbered and cried like a baby. Then I reached for my rosary and said a few decades of the beads, and I uttered a short fervent prayer, not an original prayer, but one spoken in millions of American homes today. It is a simple prayer, simply, God bless Richard Nixon.".

John Wayne gave the eulogy at his funeral.

In the fifth edition of "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" (edited by Steven Schneider ), nine of his films are listed: Judge Priest , Stagecoach , The Grapes of Wrath , How Green Was My Valley , My Darling Clementine , Rio Grande , The Quiet Man (1952) , The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance .

His filmmaking experience proved valuable to the US Navy during World War II. He photographed the attack on Omaha Beach on D-Day for the OSS.

His favorite actress was Maureen OHara and his favorite actor was John Wayne.

Often cast his older brother Francis Ford in very small and uncredited parts in his films. He had followed Francis out to Hollywood. Francis was a silent-era director-actor who helped John establish a career. Allegedly, the employment of Francis was for sadistic purposes, since John seemed to enjoy giving him small, unimportant parts and yelling at him in front of the cast and crew.

Had a great dislike of foul language and would often assault anyone who spoke that way in front of a woman.

During the Depression, Ford--at the time a very wealthy man--was accosted outside his office by a former Universal actor who was destitute and needed $200 for an operation for his wife. As the man related his misfortunes, Ford appeared to become enraged and then, to the horror of onlookers, he launched himself at the man, knocked him to the floor. However, as the shaken old man left the building, Frank Baker saw Fords business manager Fred Totman meet him at the door, where he handed the man a check for $1,000 and instructed Fords chauffeur to drive him home. There, an ambulance was waiting to take the mans wife to the hospital where a specialist, flown in from San Francisco at Fords expense, performed the operation. Some time later, Ford purchased a house for the couple and pensioned them for life.

Following his death, he was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, CA.

Was named the most influential filmmaker of all time by Moviemaker magazine.

Has won more Academy Awards for Best Director than any other director in history.

He was famously untidy and his office was often littered with papers and books.

Honored on a US postage stamp in May 2012 (along with Frank Capra , John Huston and Billy Wilder ).

In December 2011 Clint Eastwood received the first John Ford Award from John Ford Ireland Film Symposium.

In June 2012 the 1st John Ford Ireland Film Symposium (organized by the Irish Film & Television Academy [IFTA)] was held in Dublin, Ireland, celebrating the work of John Ford. The festival is set to become an annual event.

Among Fords favorite of his films are The Sun Shines Bright , Young Mr. Lincoln and Wagon Master .

He was the godfather for all of John Wayne s children.

Quote from Pat OBrien : "John Ford, the old master, is the orderly type. Working for him is like being part of a ballet. He hardly ever moves the camera, but composes his shots like a master painter, a Rembrandt or Degas. The actor becomes part of the scene. Ford lets the action swirl past his lens. But the reality of his seamen, miners, dust-bowlers, horse soldiers, or western heroes, when he is at his best, is a literature that the screen rarely gets. Working for him one feels a special pride. Lewis Milestone is a bouncing camera mover. For him the seeing eye is all. He stands the camera on its head, rolls it, rushes it, brings it in on the run. The actors are part of the scenery, and they must fight to survive, come alive while he catches them on the run. Neither men are static directors. They dont care for too much talk in their script, or stage business over meaningless chatter.".

Was the youngest of 13 children of John Augustine Feeney and Barbara Curran.

Three of Fords films-- Young Mr. Lincoln , Stagecoach and My Darling Clementine --are in the Criterion Collection.

Loved dogs.

There were occasional rumors about his sexuality. In her 2004 autobiography "Tis Herself", Maureen OHara recalled seeing Ford kissing a famous male actor (whom she did not name) in his office at Columbia Studios.

Enjoyed playing a card game called pitch.

He had a flair for languages, which took some people by surprise. Jean Renoir (a close friend), reported in his autobiography that Ford usually spoke to him in French whenever they met in Hollywood, while Henry Brandon --born Heinrich von Kleinbach in Berlin, Germany--and Jane Chang , a Chinese-American actress, separately told Fords biographer Joseph McBride that he had directed them in German and Chinese, respectively. When making films in Ireland, the land of his forefathers, he would often demonstrate his fluent Gaelic.

Had English and Irish ancestry.

Whenever Ford filmed a scene that dealt with violence, he liked to film it as quickly as possible because he did not like violence.

Funded the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

He liked to watch Henry Fonda dance in scenes from his movies, particularly in Young Mr. Lincoln and My Darling Clementine .

Along with Ernst Lubitsch , Jack Conway , Michael Curtiz , Victor Fleming , Alfred Hitchcock , Sam Wood , Francis Ford Coppola , Herbert Ross and Steven Soderbergh , he is one of ten directors to have more than one film nominated for Best Picture in the same year. The Grapes of Wrath and The Long Voyage Home were both so nominated at the 13th Academy Awards in 1941.

During the Battle of Midway in 1942, he was wounded in the arm by shrapnel while filming the Japanese attack from the power plant of Sand Island on Midway.

It is easier to get an actor to be a cowboy than to get a cowboy to be,an actor.

For a director there are commercial rules that it is necessary to obey.

In our profession, an artistic failure is nothing; a commercial failure,is a sentence. The secret is to make films that please the public and,also allow the director to reveal his personality.

My name is John Ford and I make Westerns.

[1967] I am a liberal Democrat and a rebel.

Everybody thought I was her lover. Actually, I hated her and she hated,me, but she was right for the parts.

None of my so called better pictures are westerns. .