Elia Kazan
Known for Directing · 39 credits
- Born
- 1909-09-07
- Died
- 2003-09-28
- Place of birth
- Constantinople, Ottoman Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]
- Also known as
- Elia Kazanjoglous · 엘리아 카잔 · Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου · Еліа Казан · Ηλίας Καζάν · Elias Kazantzoglou
Biography
Elia Kazan ( September 7 , 1909, Kayseri – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American director and actor, described as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". He also produced, and wrote screenplays and novels. Born in the Kayseri, Ottoman Empire to Greek parents, they emigrated to New York when he was four. After two years studying acting at Yale, he acted professionally for eight years before becoming a stage and film director. Kazan co-founded the influential Group Theater in 1932 and Actors Studio in 1947, and together with Lee Strasberg, introduced Method acting to the American stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological "realism". Having been an actor himself for eight years, he brought sensitivity and understanding of the acting process, and was later considered the ideal "actor's director". He himself acted in only a few films, including City for Conquest (1940), alongside James Cagney.
Overall, Kazan influenced the films of the 1950s and 1960s by his run of provocative, issues-driven subjects, and acting. Moreover, his personal brand of cinema, employing real locations over sets, unknowns over stars, and realism over convenient genres, proved influential to a whole generation of independent filmmakers in the 1960s. Film author Ian Freer concludes that "If his achievements are tainted by political controversy, the debt Hollywood — and actors everywhere — owes him, is enormous." In 2010, Martin Scorsese co-directed the documentary film, A Letter to Elia, as a personal tribute to Kazan, who he credits as the inspiration for his becoming a filmmaker.
Known For
TV Shows (9)
Movies (30)
Strangers All
1935
as Protester Calling for a Ballot at Communist Meeting
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
2014
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Panic in the Streets
1950
as Cleaver - Mortuary Assistant (uncredited)
Hello Actors Studio
1988
as Self
Arthur Miller: Writer
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage
1994
as Self (archive footage)
Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret
1990
as Self
A Letter to Elia
2010
as Self (archive footage)
City for Conquest
1940
as 'Googi'
The Screen Director
1951
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Empire City
1985
as Self
Mist
1988
as Old man in the coffee house
Blues in the Night
1941
as Nickie Haroyen
Elia Kazan: An Outsider
1982
as Self
Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady
1982
A Man Named Brando
2006
as Self
Inside Rupert Pupkin
2014
as Self (archive footage)
An American Named Kazan
2019
as Self (archive footage)
Backstory: 'Gentleman's Agreement'
2001
as Self (archive footage)
I Am Wanda
1980
as Self
Life at Any Cost
1998
A Streetcar on Broadway
2006
as Self (archive footage)
East of Eden: Art in Search of Life
2005
as Himself
Pie in the Sky
1935
Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist: None Without Sin
2003
as Self (Archive footage)
A Streetcar in Hollywood
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey
1995
as Self
The Making of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2019
An Actor Named Brando
2006
as Self (archive footage)
A New Lifestyle
1969
as Self
About Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan ( September 7 , 1909, Kayseri – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American director and actor, described as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". He also produced, and wrote screenplays and novels. Born in the Kayseri, Ottoman Empire to Greek parents, they emigrated to New York when he was four. After two years studying acting at Yale, he acted professionally for eight years before becoming a stage and film director. Kazan co-founded the influential Group Theater in 1932 and Actors Stud… With 39 credits spanning from 1935 to 2019, Elia Kazan has appeared in 30 films and 9 TV shows.
Fans searching for Elia Kazan movies, Elia Kazan filmography, or the latest projects starring Elia Kazan can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Elia Kazan Movies
- Strangers All (1935) — as Protester Calling for a Ballot at Communist Meeting
- Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire (2014) — as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- Panic in the Streets (1950) — as Cleaver - Mortuary Assistant (uncredited)
- Hello Actors Studio (1988) — as Self
- Arthur Miller: Writer (2017) — as Self (archive footage)
Where to Watch Elia Kazan Films
Most Elia Kazan movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Elia Kazan, check our movies catalogue and browse page.