Born in Chicago in 1912, Don Siegel studied at Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, then worked in Warner Bros.' film library and rose to head its montage department, making the montages for films such as Casablanca. His shorts Star in the Night and Hitler Lives won Academy Awards in 1945. He became a master of tough, economical action films about individualistic loners, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and made five films with Clint Eastwood, including Dirty Harry (1971). Eastwood dedicated Unforgiven to him. He died in 1991.
Filmography
- Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
- The Killers (1964) (1964)
- Coogan's Bluff (1968)
- Dirty Harry (1971)
- Escape from Alcatraz (1979)