Born in Galesville, Wisconsin, in 1911 and died in 1979, Nicholas Ray studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, worked in the theatre and radio, and was an assistant to Elia Kazan. His films concern lonely rebels, wounded men and misfits, filmed in expressive colour and widescreen. Rebel Without a Cause (1955), with James Dean, defined the teenage alienation of the 1950s, and he was a hero to the French critics at Cahiers du cinéma, who admired his emotion and his visual flair. Godard said that cinema is Nicholas Ray.
Filmography
- They Live by Night (1948)
- Knock on Any Door (1949)
- In a Lonely Place (1950)
- On Dangerous Ground (1951)
- The Lusty Men (1952)
- Johnny Guitar (1954)
- Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
- Bigger Than Life (1956)
- Bitter Victory (1957)
- Party Girl (1958)
- King of Kings (1961)
- Lightning Over Water (1980)