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IMDbPro

Stanley Donen(1924-2019)

  • Director
  • Additional Crew
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Stanley Donen
Trailer for the classic musical Singin' in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds.
Play trailer4:02
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
1 Video
15 Photos
Inspired by Fred Astaire's dancing in Flying Down to Rio (1933), Stanley Donen (pronounced 'Dawn-en') attended dance classes from the age of ten. He later recalled that the only thing he wanted to be was a tap dancer.

He was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Helen Pauline (Cohen) and Mordecai Moses Donen, a dress-shop manager, of Russian-Jewish and German-Jewish descent. Donen debuted on Broadway at seventeen. While working as an assistant choreographer in 1941, he met and befriended the actor Gene Kelly, Kelly being the brash, extrovert and energetic side of the burgeoning partnership, Donen the more refined and relaxed. Three years later, the two men renewed their collaboration in Hollywood and did much to reinvigorate the musical genre. For the next decade, they worked side-by-side as choreographers and co-directors (a relationship Donen described as 'wonderful' but 'also trying at times'), linked to MGM's Arthur Freed unit. Between them, they directed classic musicals like On the Town (1949) and Singin' in the Rain (1952) and co-wrote the original story for Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949). Freed, by the way, was the producer almost single-handedly responsible for the high standard of MGM's A-grade musicals in the 40s and 50s. A former vaudevillian and song-plugger, Freed was an astute judge of talent and encouraged gifted individuals from other media (like radio or theatre) to become involved with pictures. Moreover, he gave artists like Kelly and Donen free rein to express their creative flair.

In 1949, MGM signed Donen to a seven-year contract as director in his own right. From then on, he and Kelly went their separate ways. After directing Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Donen moved on to Paramount for Funny Face (1957), then to Warner Brothers for The Pajama Game (1957) and Damn Yankees (1958). As musicals waned in popularity, Donen branched out into other genres. He began to direct and produce elegant, lavish romantic dramas like the delightful Indiscreet (1958), sophisticated comedies like The Grass Is Greener (1960) and Two for the Road (1967) (which starred Donen's favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn), as well as the top-shelf thrillers Charade (1963) (the best film Alfred Hitchcock never directed, again with Hepburn) and Arabesque (1966). Arguably, his most out-of-character film from this period was the esoteric mephistophelean (and very British) farce Bedazzled (1967), featuring the irrepressible comic talents of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

The 1970s heralded a steady decline in the quality of Donen's output. None of his later efforts seemed to have the panache of his earlier work: not the tepid adventure-comedy Lucky Lady (1975) (despite a good cast and sumptuous production look) nor the nostalgic musical fantasy The Little Prince (1974), based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. A failure at the box office, the latter also marked the end of the Frederick Loewe-Alan Jay Lerner musical partnership. Donen's career may have finished on a low with a weak sojourn into science fiction that was Saturn 3 (1980) and the absolutely dreadful comedy Blame It on Rio (1984), but his reputation as one of the giants of the classic Hollywood musical is assured. Donen received an Honorary Oscar in 1998 ""for a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit, and visual innovation.''
BornApril 13, 1924
DiedFebruary 21, 2019(94)
BornApril 13, 1924
DiedFebruary 21, 2019(94)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 14 wins & 12 nominations

Photos15

Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen in Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Stanley Donen
Sophia Loren and Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen
Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen in Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen
"Funny Face" Audrey Hepburn, Richard Avedon, Leonard Gershe, Stanley Donen, Roger Edens 1956 Paramount **I.V.
Farrah Fawcett and Stanley Donen in Saturn 3 (1980)
Stanley Donen and Jane Powell in Royal Wedding (1951)
9111-76 "Funny Face" Audrey Hepburn and director Stanley Donen

Known for:

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963)
Charade
7.9
  • Director(directed by)
  • 1963
Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Singin' in the Rain
8.3
  • Director
  • 1952
Funny Face (1957)
Funny Face
7.0
  • Director
  • 1957
Two for the Road (1967)
Two for the Road
7.4
  • Director
  • 1967

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director

  • The Lionel Richie Collection (2003)
    The Lionel Richie Collection
    • Director (video Dancing on the Ceiling)
    • Video
    • 2003
  • Love Letters (1999)
    Love Letters
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1999
  • Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting (1985)
    Moonlighting
    • Director (musical number)
    • TV Series
    • 1986
  • Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)
    Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling
    • Director
    • Music Video
    • 1986
  • Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Michelle Johnson, and Joseph Bologna in Blame It on Rio (1984)
    Blame It on Rio
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1984
  • Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, and Farrah Fawcett in Saturn 3 (1980)
    Saturn 3
    • Director
    • 1980
  • Movie Movie (1978)
    Movie Movie
    • Director
    • 1978
  • Lucky Lady (1975)
    Lucky Lady
    • Director
    • 1975
  • The Little Prince (1974)
    The Little Prince
    • Director
    • 1974
  • Richard Burton and Rex Harrison in Staircase (1969)
    Staircase
    • Director
    • 1969
  • Raquel Welch and Dudley Moore in Bedazzled (1967)
    Bedazzled
    • Director
    • 1967
  • Two for the Road (1967)
    Two for the Road
    • Director
    • 1967
  • Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck in Arabesque (1966)
    Arabesque
    • Director
    • 1966
  • Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963)
    Charade
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1963
  • The Grass Is Greener (1960)
    The Grass Is Greener
    • Director
    • 1960

Additional Crew

  • Autodefensa (2022)
    Autodefensa
    • stock footage: "Royal Wedding"
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Kenneth Branagh, Alicia Silverstone, and Carmen Ejogo in Love's Labour's Lost (2000)
    Love's Labour's Lost
    • presenter: US release
    • 2000
  • Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting (1985)
    Moonlighting
    • choreographer
    • TV Series
    • 1986
  • Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Dan Dailey, Dolores Gray, and Michael Kidd in It's Always Fair Weather (1955)
    It's Always Fair Weather
    • dances by
    • 1955
  • Jane Powell, Wendell Corey, Danielle Darrieux, and Fernando Lamas in Rich, Young and Pretty (1951)
    Rich, Young and Pretty
    • fill-in director (uncredited)
    • 1951
  • Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Esther Williams in Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
    Take Me Out to the Ball Game
    • choreographer
    • 1949
  • The Kissing Bandit (1948)
    The Kissing Bandit
    • choreographer
    • 1948
  • A Date with Judy (1948)
    A Date with Judy
    • dance director
    • 1948
  • Big City (1948)
    Big City
    • choreographer
    • 1948
  • Mickey Rooney, Ann Blyth, Brian Donlevy, and Sam Levene in Killer McCoy (1947)
    Killer McCoy
    • arranger: "Swanee River"
    • choreographer
    • 1947
  • This Time for Keeps (1947)
    This Time for Keeps
    • choreographer
    • 1947
  • Living in a Big Way (1947)
    Living in a Big Way
    • dance sequences
    • 1947
  • Van Johnson, Xavier Cugat, Pat Kirkwood, and Keenan Wynn in No Leave, No Love (1946)
    No Leave, No Love
    • choreographer
    • 1946
  • Holiday in Mexico (1946)
    Holiday in Mexico
    • choreographer
    • 1946
  • Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and José Iturbi in Anchors Aweigh (1945)
    Anchors Aweigh
    • assistant choreographer
    • 1945

Producer

  • Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)
    Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling
    • producer
    • Music Video
    • 1986
  • The 58th Annual Academy Awards (1986)
    The 58th Annual Academy Awards
    • producer
    • TV Special
    • 1986
  • Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Michelle Johnson, and Joseph Bologna in Blame It on Rio (1984)
    Blame It on Rio
    • producer (produced by)
    • 1984
  • Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, and Farrah Fawcett in Saturn 3 (1980)
    Saturn 3
    • producer
    • 1980
  • Movie Movie (1978)
    Movie Movie
    • producer
    • 1978
  • The Little Prince (1974)
    The Little Prince
    • producer
    • 1974
  • Richard Burton and Rex Harrison in Staircase (1969)
    Staircase
    • producer
    • 1969
  • Raquel Welch and Dudley Moore in Bedazzled (1967)
    Bedazzled
    • producer
    • 1967
  • Two for the Road (1967)
    Two for the Road
    • producer
    • 1967
  • Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck in Arabesque (1966)
    Arabesque
    • producer
    • 1966
  • Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963)
    Charade
    • producer (produced by)
    • 1963
  • The Grass Is Greener (1960)
    The Grass Is Greener
    • producer
    • 1960
  • Surprise Package (1960)
    Surprise Package
    • producer
    • 1960
  • Once More, with Feeling! (1960)
    Once More, with Feeling!
    • producer
    • 1960
  • Tab Hunter and Gwen Verdon in Damn Yankees (1958)
    Damn Yankees
    • producer (produced by)
    • 1958

Videos1

Singin' in the Rain
Trailer 4:02
Singin' in the Rain

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Encyclopedia
    • Encyclopedia
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • April 13, 1924
    • Columbia, South Carolina, USA
  • Died
    • February 21, 2019
    • New York City, New York, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouses
      Pamela Braden1990 - 1994 (divorced)
  • Other works
    Music video: Directed Lionel Richie video "Dancing on the Ceiling"
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Print Biographies
    • 6 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Directed the video for Lionel Richie's song, "Dancing on the Ceiling", because of his experience directing Fred Astaire's dancing on the ceiling routine, from the movie, Royal Wedding (1951).
  • Quotes
    If we remade Singin' in the Rain (1952) today, when Gene Kelly sings in the rain, I think he'd be looking around to make sure he wasn't going to get mugged.
  • Nickname
    • The King of Musicals
  • Salary
    • The Pajama Game
      (1957)
      $110,000

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