Mankiewicz, << MANG kuh wihts, >> Joseph L. (1909-1993), was an American motion-picture screenwriter, director, and producer known for the witty dialogue in his films. He won Academy Awards for best director and for best screenplay for both A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and All About Eve (1950).
Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was born on Feb. 11, 1909, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the son of German immigrant parents. He later moved with his family to New York City. In 1928, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University. He then worked for a film company in Berlin, translating film intertitles—the text that appears on the screen in silent movies. He also worked as a Berlin correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.
Mankiewicz began working for the motion-picture studio Paramount Pictures in Hollywood in 1929. He wrote just the dialogue and then entire screenplays for many Paramount productions. He later produced films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), including the popular comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940). He went on to work as a producer at Twentieth Century Fox . There, he made his debut as a director with Dragonwyck (1946). Other films Mankiewicz directed include The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), No Way Out (1950), 5 Fingers (1952), Julius Caesar (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Guys and Dolls (1955), The Quiet American (1958), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Cleopatra (1963), and Sleuth (1972). He died on Feb. 5, 1993.
Other members of Mankiewicz family have also been involved in the film industry. Herman J. Mankiewicz, Joseph’s brother, was a screenwriter. Tom Mankiewicz, Joseph’s son, is a screenwriter and director.
See also All About Eve
