Richard Fleischer Biography
Richard Fleischer (1916 - 2006), born in Brooklyn, after graduating from Brown University, went to the Yale School of Drama, where he met his future wife, Mary Dickson. His film career began in 1942 at the RKO studio, directing shorts, documentaries, and collections of forgotten silent features, which he called "Flicker Flashbacks." He won an Academy Award as producer of the 1947 documentary Design for Death, which examined the cultural forces that led to Japan's imperial expansion during World War II. Fleischer's first feature film, Child of Divorce, was released in 1947. His other early films were noir thrillers such as Bodyguard (1948), The Clay Pigeon (1949), Follow Me Quietly (1949), Armored Car Robbery (1950), and The Narrow Margin (1952). In 1948, Fleischer also directed So This Is New York, a cynically sophisticated comedy. In 1954 he was chosen by Walt Disney (his father's former rival as a cartoon producer) to direct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre. It was a great success with both critics and the public. As a result, Fleischer became known for large films, often using special effects, such as Barabbas (1961), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Doctor Dolittle (1967), and Tora! Torah! Torah! (1970). He directed many action adventures such as Violent Saturday (1955), Bandido (1956) with Robert Mitchum, The Vikings (1958) and Mr. Majestyk (1974). Fleischer also directed a trilogy of films centered on famous serial killers and centered on the theme of capital punishment: Compulsion (1959), The Boston Strangler (1968), and 10 Rillington Place (1971). Some of his films are considered controversial and provocative, such as Che! (1969), a biopic of Che Guevara and the interracial melodrama of the Deep South in Mandingo (1975).
