Otto Preminger

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Otto Preminger, born on December 5, 1905, in Wischnitz, Austria-Hungary (now Vyzhnytsia, Ukraine), was an influential film director, producer, and actor. He began his career in theater, gaining prominence in Vienna before emigrating to the United States in the mid-1930s. Preminger became a U.S. citizen in 1943 and directed over 35 feature films during his five-decade career.

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Preminger is best known for his work in film noir and for pushing the boundaries of Hollywood censorship. His notable films include Laura (1944), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and Anatomy of a Murder (1959), with some tackling controversial topics considered taboo at the time.

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While he was known for a liberal social outlook Preminger was notorious for his temperamental and perfectionist attitude on set, earning nicknames like "Otto the Ogre" and "Otto the Terrible".

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His final film was the Graham Greene adaptation The Human Factor (1979). He passed away on April 23, 1986, in New York City, aged 80, and is remembered as a pioneering and provocative filmmaker.