Billy Wilder

He tied the nuptial knot with Judith Coppicus on December 22, 1936. The couple was blessed with twins, Victoria and Vincent, of which Vincent died shortly after birth. The couple divorced in 1946. In 1949, he remarried Audrey Young.

Health concerns constantly surfaced and caused problems towards the later days of his life. He was battling with numerous problems including cancer. He breathed his last in 2002 due to pneumonia. He was later interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, Los Angeles, California

Billy Wilder was born as Samuel Wilder to Max and Eugenia Wilder. He was nicknamed Billie by his mom. His parents ran a cake shop at the Sucha Beskidzka's train station which turned out to be a profitable venture. Later on, the family shifted base to Vienna.

In Vienna, young Wilder attained his formal education from local school. After completing his high school studies, he took to working as a journalist instead of pursuing a graduation degree. For better opportunities and wider scope, he moved to Berlin.

While at Berlin, he achieved success as a writer, penning sports and crime stories for various local newspapers. He finally secured himself a permanent position at a Berlin tabloid. It was there that his fascination for films became evident. No sooner, he started working as a screenwriter.

Along with other inexperienced screenwriters, he worked on the script for the 1929 film, ‘People on Sunday’. Two years later, he single-handedly wrote the script for the film adaptation of the Erich K�stner novel ‘Emil and the Detectives’.

With Hitler’s prominence and rise to power, he shifted base to Paris. There, he made his debut as a director with the film ‘Mauvaise Graine’ in 1934. However, before the release of the film, he moved to Hollywood.

In Hollywood, he continued to pursue his love for writing by becoming a screenwriter. He collaborated with writer Charles Brackett for the film ‘Bluebeard's Eighth Wife’ which marked the start for many more films ahead.

His first major breakthrough came in 1939 with the Academy-Award nominated film, ‘Ninotchka’. The film secured both popular and critical acclaim. Post the glorious success of ‘Ninotchka’, he came up with scripts for ‘Hold Back the Dawn’ and ‘Ball of Fire’.

‘Double Indemnity’ marked a significant breakthrough in his career clinching grand reception, both commercially and critically. The movie earned seven nominations for Academy Awards.

‘Sunset Boulevard’, a dark cynical movie further expanded the range of acceptable subjects in Hollywood and proved to be a commercial and critical hit. It secured eleven nominations in Academy Awards, eventually winning three of them.

‘The Apartment’ was a grand commercial and critical hit at the box office, grossing a box office record of $25 million. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards out of which it won five.