Huston, John

Huston, John (hyOOs'tun) [key], 1906–87, American motion picture director, writer, and actor, b. Nevada, Mo. In many of his films, such as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and Moby Dick (1955), Huston focused on groups whose goals are thwarted by greed and cross-purposes. He wrote the screenplays for many of his films, including The Maltese Falcon (1941), the first film he directed. Other films include The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), Beat the Devil (1954), The Misfits (1960), Fat City (1972), Wise Blood (1978), and Under the Volcano (1984). An actor as well, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of a menacing patriarch in Chinatown (1974).

His father was Walter Huston,. 1884–1950, American actor, b. Toronto, Ont. A character actor, he starred in Kurt Weill's Knickerbocker Holiday (1938). His films include Dodsworth (1936), All That Money Can Buy (1941), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. He won an Academy Award for the last. John Huston's daughter, Anjelica Huston,. 1952–, American actress, b. Ireland, worked with her father in Walk with Love and Death (1969), Prizzi's Honor (1985), for which she won an Academy Award, and The Dead (1987).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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