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William Wyler

William Wyler

Director and producer, also writer, actor and cinematographer · Died July 27, 1981, aged 79 · Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]

William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born film director, producer, and screenwriter. Notable works include Ben-Hur (1959), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Mrs. Miniver (1942), all which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, and also won Best Picture. He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing Dodsworth in 1936, sparking a 20-year run of almost unbroken greatness. Film historian Ian Freer calls Wyler a "bona fide perfectionist," whose penchant for retakes and an attempt to hone every last nuance "became the stuff of legend." His ability to direct a string of classic literary adaptations into huge box office and critical successes made him one of Hollywood's most bankable moviemakers during the 1930s and 1940s.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 1, 1902
Died
July 27, 1981 (aged 79)
From
Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]
Works as
Director and producer, also writer, actor and cinematographer
Titles
31 on MovieCove · 62 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 27% in 30 days

What are William Wyler's films like?

Across their 31 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 91st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
27%
Bonds
22%
Self
20%
Power
12%
Survival
10%
Society
8%
Ideas
2%
Justice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 5 · Dark 19

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 19 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 14 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 14 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 20 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 17

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
21
Melancholic
19
Romantic
8
Bittersweet
7
Joyful
4
Other
27

How their films linger

Bittersweet15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet19
  • Tragic5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch William Wyler's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for William Wyler's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

62 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page; 24 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Roman Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Writer

  • History Rediscovered: The Memphis Belle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • The Liberation of L.B. Jones(1970)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Funny Girl(1968)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • How to Steal a Million(1966)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Collector(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Children's Hour(1961)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Ben-Hur(1959)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Big Country(1958)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Friendly Persuasion(1956)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director · Producer

  • The Desperate Hours(1955)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Roman Holiday(1953)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Carrie(1952)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Detective Story(1951)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Heiress(1949)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Thunderbolt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • The Best Years of Our Lives(1946)

    Director · as Drug Store customer (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Fighting Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Director

  • The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress(1944)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Mrs. Miniver(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Little Foxes(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Letter(1940)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Westerner(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Wuthering Heights(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Raffles(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Cowboy and the Lady(1938)

    Co-Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Jezebel(1938)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Dead End(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Come and Get It(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Dodsworth(1936)

    Director · as Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • These Three(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Gay Deception(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Good Fairy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • Glamour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Counsellor at Law(1933)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Her First Mate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Tom Brown of Culver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • A House Divided (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • The Storm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • Hell's Heroes(1929)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Love Trap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director · Producer

  • The Shakedown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • Anybody Here Seen Kelly? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • Thunder Riders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • Desert Dust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • The Border Cavalier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • The Horse Trader (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • The Ore Raiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Hard Fists (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Straight Shootin' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Blazing Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • The Two Fister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • The Stolen Ranch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Lazy Lightning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Martin of the Mounted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Don't Shoot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • The Fire Barrier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Ridin' for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director · Story

  • The Gunless Bad Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • The Crook Buster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1923)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 61 titles from 1923 to 2016.

Biggest box office

Ben-Hur (1959)

$74M worldwide

Highest rated

Roman Holiday (1953)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Detective Story (1951)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 61: 0 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting59 of 61: 41 only directing, 18 with another role · typical Midcredits score91stWriting3 of 61: 1 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing14 of 61: 0 only producing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score93rdCinematography1 of 61: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 61: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

61 titles, 18 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 14 of them.

By decade

1920s22 · crew1930s15 · 1 acting · 15 crew1940s9 · 1 acting · 9 crew1950s8 · crew1960s4 · crew1970s1 · crew2010s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do William Wyler's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 91st percentile, the median of all 31; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up27
  • 50th to 74th4

Shape of the crowd

None of their 31 titles divides audiences: 17 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved17
  • Crowd Pleaser14

Most loved · director, producer

Roman Holiday (1953)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 56/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is William Wyler's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles12–58 · median 25 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles0–24 · median 14 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles1–13 · median 6 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles12–40 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense11 titles2–58 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does William Wyler work with?

People who share at least 2 of William Wyler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Swink shares the most, 10.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers