Korda, Sir Alexander (1893-1956), was a Hungarian-born motion-picture producer and director who introduced Hollywood methods into British movie studios. Korda either directed or produced some of the United Kingdom’s most commercially and artistically successful films. Of the films that he directed, the best were probably The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Rembrandt (1936), and Lady Hamilton (1941). The films that he produced included The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), Things to Come (1936), Elephant Boy (1937), and The Third Man (1949). After World War II (1939-1945), Korda concentrated mainly on financial and organizational work. He owned British Lion, a motion-picture distributing company.
Korda was born on Sept. 16, 1893, in Turkeve, near Mezotur in Hungary. His real name was Sandor Laszlo Kellner. Starting in 1914, Korda made films in Budapest, Hungary, and later in Paris and Berlin before going to Hollywood in 1927. After several years there, he settled in the United Kingdom in 1931. Korda was knighted in 1942. His brother Zoltan Korda was also a motion-picture director, who directed such notable action films as The Four Feathers (1939) and Sahara (1943). Another brother, Vincent Korda, was a successful film art director. Alexander Korda died on Jan. 23, 1956.
