View source for Arthur Hiller

{{Short description|Canadian film and television director (1923–2016)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=October 2025}}
{{About||the footballer|Arthur Hiller (footballer)|the playwright with a similar name|Arthur Miller}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2016}}<!--See talk page before changing date format-->
{{Infobox person
| name               = Arthur Hiller
| honorific_suffix   = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC}}
| image              = Arthur Hiller-1970.jpg
| caption            = Hiller directing ''Love Story'' in 1970
| birth_date         = November 22, 1923<ref name=legends>[http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/arthur-hiller Archive of American Television], 2003 interview</ref><!--See talk page-->
| birth_place        = [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2016|08|17|1923|11|22}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]]<br>Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| education          = [[Victoria School of the Arts]]
| alma_mater         = [[University College, Toronto]] (B.A., 1947)
| occupation         = Film and television director
| spouse             = {{marriage|Gwen Pechet|1948|2016|reason=died}}
| children           = 2
| module             = {{Infobox military person
| embed = yes
| allegiance = {{flag|Canada}}
| branch = {{air force|Canada}}
| service_years = 1941-1945
| unit = [[427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron|427 Lion Squadron]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[World War II]]
** [[European theatre of World War II|European theatre]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}
| module2            = {{infobox officeholder
 | embed       = yes
 | office      = President of the [[Directors Guild of America]]
 | term_start  = 1989
 | term_end    = 1993
 | predecessor = [[Franklin J. Schaffner]]
 | successor   = [[Gene Reynolds]]
}}
| module3            = {{infobox officeholder
 | embed       = yes
 | office      = President of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]
 | term_start  = 1993
 | term_end    = 1997
 | predecessor = [[Robert Rehme]]
 | successor   = Robert Rehme
}}
| years_active       = 1955–2006
| notable_works      = ''[[Love Story (1970 film)|Love Story]]''
| style              = {{hlist||[[Comedy-drama]]|[[Slapstick comedy]]|[[Tragedy]]|[[Drama]]||[[Satire]]}}
}}

'''Arthur Hiller''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC}} (November 22, 1923{{efn|''[[The New York Times]]'' says he was born on November 13, 1923,<ref name=NYT-obit>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/movies/arthur-hiller-dead.html "Arthur Hiller, 'Love Story' Director and Box-Office Magnet, Dies at 92"], ''The New York Times'', August 17, 2016</ref> while most other sources list it as the 22nd (''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''Film Reference'', ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', and ''Katz's Film Encyclopedia'').<ref name=LAT>[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-me-arthur-hiller-obit-20160817-snap-story.html "Arthur Hiller dies at 92; former academy president and director of 'Love Story'"], ''Los Angeles Times'', August 17, 2016</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Arthur Hiller|work=filmreference.com|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/22/Arthur-Hiller.html}}</ref><ref>[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/arthur-hiller-dead-love-story-720777 ''The Hollywood Reporter''], August 17, 2016</ref><ref>Katz, Ephraim. ''The Film Encyclopedia'', Collins Reference (2012) p. 672</ref>}} – August 17, 2016) was a Canadian film and television director. He directed over feature 33 feature films during a 50-year career. He began his career directing television in Canada and later in the U.S. By the late 1950s, he was directing films, most often comedies, but also dramas and romantic subjects, such as in [[Love Story (1970 film)|''Love Story'']] (1970), which was nominated for seven [[Academy Awards]], including for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]].

Hiller collaborated on films with screenwriters [[Paddy Chayefsky]] and [[Neil Simon]]. Among his other notable films were ''[[The Americanization of Emily]]'' (1964), [[Tobruk (1967 film)|''Tobruk'']] (1967), ''[[The Hospital]]'' (1971), [[The Out-of-Towners (1970 film)|''The Out-of-Towners'']] (1970), [[Plaza Suite (film)|''Plaza Suite'']] (1971), ''[[The Man in the Glass Booth]]'' (1975), [[Silver Streak (film)|''Silver Streak'']] (1976), [[The In-Laws (1979 film)|''The In-Laws'']] (1979), ''[[Making Love]]'' (1982), and [[Outrageous Fortune (film)|''Outrageous Fortune'']] (1987).

Hiller served as the 19th President of the [[Directors Guild of America]] from 1989 to 1993 and President of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] from 1993 to 1997. He was the recipient of the [[Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]] in 2002. An annual film festival in Hiller's honor was held from 2006 until 2009 at his alma mater, [[Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts]].

==Early life==
Hiller was born in November 1923 in [[Edmonton, Alberta]], the son of Rose (née Garfin) and Harry Hiller. His family was [[History of the Jews in Canada|Jewish]], and had emigrated from [[Congress Poland]] (then part of the [[Russian Empire]]) in 1912. He had two sisters, one 13 years older and one 11 years older. His father operated a second-hand musical instruments store in Edmonton. Hiller recalled that when he occasionally traveled home while he was in college, the black people he met with "treated me like a king. Why? Because they loved my father. They told me that unlike other shopkeepers, he treated them like normal folks when they went to his store. He didn't look down on them".<ref>Grodin, Charles. ''If I Only Knew Then&nbsp;... Learning from Our Mistakes'', Springboard Press (2007) p. 78</ref>

Although his parents were not professionals in theater or had much money, notes Hiller, they enjoyed putting on a Jewish play once or twice a year for the Jewish community of 450 people, mainly to keep in touch with their heritage. Hiller recalls they started up the [[Yiddish theatre]] when he was seven or eight years old; he helped set carpenters build and decorate the sets. When he was eleven, he got a role acting as an old man, wearing a long beard and the [[payot]]. He says that "the love of theater and music and literature my parents instilled in me" contributed to his later choosing to direct TV and films.<ref>King, Alan. ''Matzo Balls for Breakfast: and Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish'', Simon & Schuster (2004) p. 215</ref>

=== Military service ===
After he graduated from high school, he briefly attended the [[University of Alberta]], before joining the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] in 1941 during [[World War II]]. He served with [[427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron|427 Lion Squadron]] as a navigator on four-engine [[Handley Page Halifax]] heavy bombers flying from [[Yorkshire]] on operations over Nazi-controlled territory in Europe.<ref name="WWII">[http://www.dominion.ca/Downloads/sor_ArthurHiller.pdf Arthur Hiller]dominion.ca {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726093224/http://www.dominion.ca/Downloads/sor_ArthurHiller.pdf |date=July 26, 2020 }}</ref> 

After he returned from serving in the military, Hiller enrolled in and later graduated from [[University College, Toronto]] with a Bachelor of Arts in 1947. After Israel was declared a state in 1948, he and his wife unsuccessfully tried to join the Israeli army because the country came under attack.{{efn|He said that "Israel was immediately attacked by five different Arab armies&nbsp;... I volunteered, but they turned me down because I was married. I drove down to Seattle to try to volunteer from the United States, but again was turned down because I was married. My wife agreed to volunteer too, but again, 'No.'&nbsp;...  I admire their [Israelis'] determination and dignity of purpose with high ethical standards as they try to make their country safe ''for'' democracy, while the countries around them try to make the Arab world safe ''from'' democracy.<ref>Dershowitz, Alan. ''What Israel Means to Me: By 80 Prominent Writers, Performers, Scholars, Politicians, and Journalists'', John Wiley & Sons (2006) pp. 183–185</ref>}} 

Hiller returned to college and earned a Master of Arts in psychology in 1950. One of his early jobs, after graduating, was with Canadian radio directing various public affairs programs.<ref name="wp" />

==Career==
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor = LightCyan|quote=Arthur Hiller was calm, quiet and he knew exactly what he wanted. He never told you what to do. He took what you had and very gently focused it. It was such a joy to work with him.|source=actress [[Jean Byron]]<ref>Parla, Paul. ''Screen Sirens Scream! Interviews with 20 Actresses'', McFarland (2000) p. 21</ref>}}

Hiller began his career as a television director with the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]. [[NBC]], one of the main networks in the United States, seeing his work in Canada, offered him positions directing television dramas. Over the next few years, his work for the small screen included episodes of ''[[Thriller (U.S. TV series)|Thriller]]'', ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', ''The Rifleman, Gunsmoke'', [[Naked City (TV series)|''Naked City'']], [[Perry Mason]], and ''[[Playhouse 90]]''.<ref name=Allon>{{cite book|last=Downs|first=Jacqueline|editor1-last=Allon|editor1-first=Yoram|editor2-last= Cullen|editor2-first=Del|editor3-last=Patterson| editor3-first=Hannah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifl0AkO-KeIC&pg=PA243|title=Contemporary North American Film Directorslocation=London|publisher=Wallflower Press|year=2001|pages=243–44|isbn=9781903364529}}</ref>

===1950s–1960s===
Hiller directed his first film, ''[[The Careless Years]]'' (1957), the story of a young couple eloping developed by [[Bryna Productions]]. This was followed by ''[[This Rugged Land]]'' (1962), originally made for television but then released as a film, and then ''[[Miracle of the White Stallions]]'' (1963), a [[Walt Disney Productions]] film. With these first films, Hiller already showed competence in directing unrelated subjects successfully.<ref name=Allon/>

He next directed a satirical anti-war comedy by screenwriter [[Paddy Chayefsky]], ''[[The Americanization of Emily]]'' (1964), starring [[James Garner]] and [[Julie Andrews]]. It was the first of two film collaborations with Chayefsky. The film, nominated for two Academy Awards, would establish Hiller as a notable Hollywood director and, according to critics, "earned him a reputation for flair with sophisticated comedy."<ref name=Allon/> ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic [[Bosley Crowther]] wrote that Hiller's "brisk direction" of Chayefsky's script included some "remarkably good writing with some slashing irreverence."<ref>Crowther, Bosley. [https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E02E7D91E3FEE32A2575BC2A9669D946591D6CF ''The Americanization of Emily'' review], ''The New York Times'', 28 October  1966.</ref>

In 1964 Hiller also directed the first episode of the television series [[The Addams Family (1964 TV series)|''The Addams Family'']]. This was followed by the comedy ''[[Promise Her Anything]]'' (1965), with [[Warren Beatty]] and [[Leslie Caron]] and [[Penelope (1966 film)|''Penelope'']] (1966), starring [[Natalie Wood]]. In a move away from comedy, he directed the desert warfare drama, [[Tobruk (1967 film)|''Tobruk'']] (1967), starring [[Rock Hudson]] and [[George Peppard]], about a [[North African Campaign]] during [[World War II]]. The film was nominated for one Academy Award and showed Hiller capable of handling action films as well as comedy.<ref name=Allon/> Around the same time, he returned to comedy with ''[[The Tiger Makes Out]]'' (also 1967), starring [[Eli Wallach]] and [[Anne Jackson]], and featured [[Dustin Hoffman]]'s film debut. ''[[Popi]]'' (1969), recounts the tale of a Puerto Rican widower, starring [[Alan Arkin]], struggling to raise his two young sons in the New York City neighborhood known as [[Spanish Harlem]]. Arkin was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor]].<ref>[http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/alan-arkin Alan Arkin Golden Globe nominations], ''Golden Globe Awards''</ref>

===1970s===
{{quote box|align=|width=25em|bgcolor = MistyRose|quote=All I knew at first was that I liked him and respected him, and then I grew to adore him. Whatever Arthur asked of me, I did to the best of my ability. And I was blessed to be in such safe hands. Every piece of that experience was protected. He wasn't casual about his work in any way—you knew exactly what he wanted you to do. He was meticulous.|source=Ali MacGraw, on the making of ''Love Story''<ref>[http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/news/a7619/ali-macgraw-love-story/ "Ali MacGraw on the Making of 'Love Story' and Its Beloved Director Arthur Hiller"], ''Town & Country'', August 30, 2016</ref>}}

Hiller directed [[Love Story (1970 film)|''Love Story'']] (1970), his best known work and most successful at the box-office.<ref name=Allon/> The film stars [[Ryan O'Neal]] and [[Ali MacGraw]] in a romantic tragedy, and it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Director. The [[American Film Institute]] ranks it No. 9 in their list of the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions|greatest love stories]]. Critic [[Roger Ebert]] disagreed with some critics who felt the story was too contrived:<ref name=Ebert/> "Why shouldn't we get a little misty during a story about young lovers separated by death? Hiller earns our emotional response because of the way he's directed the movie...The movie is mostly about life, however, not death. And because Hiller makes the lovers into individuals, of course we're moved by the film's conclusion. Why not?"<ref name=Ebert>Ebert, Roger. ''Roger Ebert's Four Star Reviews—1967–2007'', Andrews McMeel Publishing (2007) p. 443</ref>

The following year Hiller again collaborated with screenwriter [[Paddy Chayevsky]] in directing ''[[The Hospital]]'' (1971), a satire starring [[George C. Scott]] which has been described as being his best film.<ref name=Allon/> It is a black comedy about disillusionment and chaos within a hospital setting.<ref name=Allon/> Chayevsky received the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]. In directing the film, Hiller tried to create a sense of action and movement by keeping the camera mobile and using handheld cameras as much as possible.<ref name=Allon/> His goal was to have the camera reflect the chaos and confusion taking place in the hospital. "I've always liked that sort of realistic feel," he states. "I wanted the feeling that the audience was peeking around the corner."<ref name=Elder/>

Hiller directed two comedy films in collaboration with playwright [[Neil Simon]].<ref>Erskine, Thomas L. ''Video Versions: Film Adaptations of Plays on Video'', Greenwood Press (2000) p. 258</ref> The first film was [[The Out-of-Towners (1970 film)|''The Out-of-Towners'']] (1970), starring [[Jack Lemmon]] and [[Sandy Dennis]], who were both nominated for Golden Globe awards for their roles. Their next collaboration was [[Plaza Suite (film)|''Plaza Suite'']] (1971), starring [[Walter Matthau]], which was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture. Both films were driven by intense comedy dialogue and were considered "crisply directed" by reviewers.<ref name=Allon/>

Hiller returned to directing serious drama with ''[[The Man in the Glass Booth]]'' (1975), starring [[Maximilian Schell]], in a screen adaptation of a stage play written by [[Robert Shaw (British actor)|Robert Shaw]]. Schell played the role of a man trying to deal with questions of self-identity and guilt as a survivor of the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] during World War II. For his highly emotional role, Schell was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/maximilian-schell-1930-2014/13/ "Maximilian Schell 1930-2014"], ''CBS News''</ref>

Returning to comedy, Hiller directed [[Silver Streak (film)|''Silver Streak'']] (1976), starring [[Gene Wilder]], [[Jill Clayburgh]] and
[[Richard Pryor]]. The film was well received by critics and is rated No. 95 on the [[American Film Institute|AFI]]'s best comedy films. He directed another comedy, [[The In-Laws (1979 film)|''The In-Laws'']] (1979), with [[Peter Falk]] and [[Alan Arkin]], which was also a critical and commercial success.<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_in_laws_1979 "The In-laws"], ''Rottentomatoes'', 90% rating</ref>

===1980s===
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor = LightCyan|quote=He was good director who wanted to know all about the subject. I took Arthur on a tour of the bars one night. Arthur is a real straight Jewish guy, married to the same woman for a hundred years, kids, and everything so far removed from the scene that it was like he was doing a movie about aliens.|source=writer [[Eric Marcus]] on the film ''[[Making Love]]'' (1982)<ref>Marcus, Eric. ''Making Gay History'', HarperCollins (2002) p. 234</ref>}}

Hiller directed the film ''[[Making Love]]'', which was released in February 1982, a story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality. [[Author! Author! (film)|''Author! Author!'']] (also 1982), starred [[Al Pacino]]. The following year Hiller directed [[Romantic Comedy (1983 film)|''Romantic Comedy'']] (1983), starring [[Dudley Moore]] and [[Mary Steenburgen]]. His next comedy, ''[[The Lonely Guy]]'' (1984), starred [[Steve Martin]] as a greeting card writer and was followed by ''[[Teachers (film)|Teachers]]'' (1984), a comedy-drama film starring [[Nick Nolte]].<ref name=guardobit>{{Cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/18/arthur-hiller-obituary | work = The Guardian | title = Arthur Hiller obituary | first =Brian | last= Baxter | date = 18 August 2016 |access-date =19 August 2016}}</ref>

[[Outrageous Fortune (film)|''Outrageous Fortune'']] (1987) stars [[Shelley Long]] and [[Bette Midler]]. The film was successful at the box office, with Midler being nominated or winning various awards. The film was followed by ''[[See No Evil, Hear No Evil]]'' (1989), another comedy again starring [[Gene Wilder]] and [[Richard Pryor]]. Pryor plays a blind man and Wilder a deaf man who work together to thwart a trio of murderous thieves.<ref name=guardobit/>

===1990s and 2000s===
The 1990s saw Hiller directing a number of films, most of which received negative or mixed reviews: ''[[Taking Care of Business (film)|Taking Care of Business]]'' (1990); ''[[The Babe]]'' (1992), a biographical film about [[Babe Ruth]], portrayed by [[John Goodman]]; ''[[Married to It]]'' (1993) and [[Carpool (1996 film)|''Carpool'']] (1996). In 1997, Hiller helmed the infamous flop ''[[An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn]]'', which mirrored its title when Hiller requested his name be removed from the picture – thus truly making it an [[Alan Smithee]] film. Nine years later, when he was in his 80s, Hiller directed ''[[National Lampoon's Pucked]]'' (2006), his last film, which stars rock star [[Jon Bon Jovi]].<ref name=wp>{{cite news|title=Arthur Hiller, Oscar-nominated 'Love Story' director, dies at 92|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/arthur-hiller-oscar-nominated-love-story-director-dies-at-92/2016/08/17/25930dae-64b2-11e6-96c0-37533479f3f5_story.html|access-date=August 18, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|date= August 17, 2016}}</ref>

==Directorial influences==
In an interview with journalist [[Robert K. Elder]] for ''[[The Film That Changed My Life]]'',<ref name=Elder/> Hiller states that the film ''[[Rome, Open City]]'' (1945) had had a strong influence on his career because he saw it right after leaving the military where he was a bomber navigator in the Canadian Air Force.<ref name=Elder/> The film is set during the Nazi occupation of Italy and shows the priesthood and the Communists teaming up against the enemy forces. Hiller commented, "You just get the strongest emotional feelings about what happened to people in Italy."<ref name=Elder>Hiller, Arthur. Interview with Robert K. Elder. ''The Film That Changed My Life'', Chicago Review Press, 2011. p. 162</ref>

Hiller preferred his scripts to contain "good moral values," a preference which he says came from his upbringing.{{efn|"I prefer them [scripts] with good moral values, which comes from my parents and my upbringing&nbsp;... Even in my smaller, lesser films, at least there's an affirmation of the human spirit."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/arthur-hiller-oscar-nominated-love-story-director-dies-at-92/2016/08/17/25930dae-64b2-11e6-96c0-37533479f3f5_story.html "Arthur Hiller, Oscar-nominated 'Love Story' director, dies at 92"], ''The Washington Post'', August 17, 2016</ref>}} He wanted high quality screenplays whenever possible, which partly explains why he collaborated on multiple films with both [[Paddy Chayefsky]] and [[Neil Simon]]. Hiller explains his rationale:

{{blockquote|Storytelling is innate to the human condition. Its underpinnings are cerebral, emotional, communal, psychological. One of the storyteller's main responsibilities is to resonate in the audience's psyche a certain something at the end of it all, to emotionally move the audience, to compel the audience to "get it" on a visceral level.<ref>Wright, Kate. ''Screenwriting Is Storytelling'', The Berkeley Publishing Group (2004) foreword</ref>}}

==Honours==
[[File:Arthur Hiller.jpg|thumb|left|Hiller in the 1970s]]
Hiller served as president of the [[Directors Guild of America]] (DGA) from 1989 to 1993<ref name=DGA>[http://www.dga.org/News/PressReleases/2016/160817-Statement-from-DGA-President-Taylor-Paris-Barclay-on-the-Passing-of-Arthur-Hiller.aspx "In Memoriam: Arthur Hiller 1923–2016"], Directors Guild of America, August 17, 2016</ref> DGA presented Hiller with the Robert B. Aldrich Award in 1999 and the DGA Honorary Life Member Award in 1993. In 1970 he received a DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for ''Love Story''.<ref name=DGA/> He was also a member of the [[National Film Preservation Board]] of the [[Library of Congress]] from 1989 to 2005<ref name=DGA/> and President of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] from 1993 to 1997.<ref>[http://www.oscars.org/news/statement-regarding-passing-former-academy-president-arthur-hiller "Statement Regarding the Passing of former Academy President Arthur Hiller"], Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, August 17, 2016</ref> He also served on the board of the [[National Student Film Institute]].<ref>{{cite book|title=National Student Film Institute/L.A: The Sixteenth Annual Los Angeles Student Film Festival|date=June 10, 1994|location=The Directors Guild Theatre|pages=10–11|ref=Program}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Los Angeles Student Film Institute: 13th Annual Student Film Festival|date=June 7, 1991|location=The Directors Guild Theatre|page=3|ref=Program}}</ref>

He received the [[Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]] at the 2002 Academy Awards ceremony in recognition of his humanitarian, charitable and philanthropic efforts.<ref name=Froug>Froug, William. ''How I Escaped from Gilligan's Island'', Univ. of Wisconsin Press (2005) p. 78</ref> In 2002, he was honoured with a star on [[Canada's Walk of Fame]] in Toronto.<ref>[http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/2002/arthur-hiller Canada's Walk of Fame]</ref> In 2006, he was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]].<ref>[http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4984 Hiller named Officer of the Order of Canada]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223100558/http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4984 |date=February 23, 2007 }}</ref>  Writer and producer [[William Froug]] said that "Hiller is that rare and hugely successful gentleman who has remained humble all his life."<ref name=Froug/>

He received an honorary degree of [[Doctor of Fine Arts]] from the University of Victoria in June 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uvic.ca/universitysecretary/senate/honorary/recipients/index.php#1995|title=University of Victoria -Honorary degree recipients - University of Victoria}}</ref> He received an honorary degree of [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D) from the University of Toronto in November 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title=University of Toronto Honorary Degree Recipients 1850 - 2016 |url=http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Assets/Governing+Council+Digital+Assets/Boards+and+Committees/Committee+for+Honorary+Degrees/degreerecipients1850tillnow.pdf |website=[[University of Toronto]] |date=2016-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713234137/http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Assets/Governing%20Council%20Digital%20Assets/Boards%20and%20Committees/Committee%20for%20Honorary%20Degrees/degreerecipients1850tillnow.pdf |archive-date=2012-07-13 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1948, he married Gwen Pechet, who was also Jewish; they had two children and two grandchildren.<ref name=HollyObit>{{cite news | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gwen-hiller-dead-love-story-906418 | title=Gwen Hiller, Wife of 'Love Story' Director Arthur Hiller, Dies at 92 | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=June 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.albertaonrecord.ca/pechet-family | publisher=Society of Alberta Archives | title=Pechet (family) | access-date=August 17, 2016}}</ref> His wife died on June 24, 2016.<ref>[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gwen-hiller-dead-love-story-906418 "Gwen Hiller, Wife of 'Love Story' Director Arthur Hiller, Dies at 92"], ''The Hollywood Reporter'', 26 June 2016</ref> They were married for 68 years.<ref name=NYT-obit/> 

=== Death ===
Hiller died almost two months later in Los Angeles on August 17, 2016, at the age of 92 from natural causes.<ref name="deadline1">{{cite web|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|url=https://deadline.com/2016/08/arthur-hiller-dies-love-story-director-academy-president-1201805019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818131436/http://deadline.com/2016/08/arthur-hiller-dies-love-story-director-academy-president-1201805019/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 18, 2016|title=Arthur Hiller Dies: Oscar-Nominated 'Love Story' Director Was 92|date=August 17, 2016|publisher=Deadline|access-date=August 17, 2016}}</ref><ref name="variety1">{{cite web|author=Carmel Dagan|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/arthur-hiller-dead-dies-director-love-story-1201839474|title=Arthur Hiller Dead: 'Love Story' Director Was 92|work=Variety|date=23 June 2014|access-date=August 17, 2016}}</ref> 

== Portrayal in media ==
Hiller was portrayed by actor Jake Regal in the 2022 miniseries ''[[The Offer]]''.

==Filmography==

=== Feature films ===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

*''[[The Careless Years]]'' (1957)
*''[[Miracle of the White Stallions]]'' (1963)
*''[[The Wheeler Dealers]]'' (1963)
*''[[The Americanization of Emily]]'' (1964)
*''[[Promise Her Anything]]'' (1965)
*''[[Penelope (1966 film)|Penelope]]'' (1966)
*''[[Tobruk (1967 film)|Tobruk]]'' (1967)
*''[[The Tiger Makes Out]]'' (1967)
*''[[Popi]]'' (1969)
*''[[The Out-of-Towners (1970 film)|The Out-of-Towners]]'' (1970)
*''[[Love Story (1970 film)|Love Story]]'' (1970)
*''[[The Hospital]]'' (1971)
*''[[Plaza Suite (film)|Plaza Suite]]'' (1971)
*''[[Man of La Mancha (film)|Man of La Mancha]]'' (1972)
*''[[The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder]]'' (1974)
*''[[The Man in the Glass Booth]]'' (1975)
*''[[Silver Streak (film)|Silver Streak]]'' (1976)
{{col-break}}
*''[[W. C. Fields and Me]]'' (1976)
*''[[Nightwing (film)|Nightwing]]'' (1979)
*''[[The In-Laws (1979 film)|The In-Laws]]'' (1979)
*''[[Making Love]]'' (1982)
*''[[Author! Author! (film)|Author! Author!]]'' (1982)
*''[[Romantic Comedy (1983 film)|Romantic Comedy]]'' (1983)
*''[[The Lonely Guy]]'' (1984)
*''[[Teachers (film)|Teachers]]'' (1984)
*''[[Outrageous Fortune (film)|Outrageous Fortune]]'' (1987)
*''[[See No Evil, Hear No Evil (film)|See No Evil, Hear No Evil]]'' (1989)
*''[[Taking Care of Business (film)|Taking Care of Business]]'' (1990)
*''[[Married to It]]'' (1991)
*''[[The Babe]]'' (1992)
*''[[Carpool (1996 film)|Carpool]]'' (1996)
*''[[An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn]]'' (1997) {{small|(credited as [[Alan Smithee]])}}
*''[[National Lampoon's Pucked]]'' (2006)
{{col-end}}

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Institution
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
!Result
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Academy Awards]]
| 1971
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
|[[Love Story (1970 film)|''Love Story'']]
|{{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-04 |title=The 43rd Academy Awards {{!}} 1971 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1971 |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2002
|[[Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]]
|{{N/A}}
|{{won}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-27 |title=The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award {{!}} Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.oscars.org/governors/hersholt |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival]]
|1980
|Grand Prize
|[[Nightwing (film)|''Nightwing'']]
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Berlin International Film Festival]]
| rowspan="3" |1972
|[[Golden Bear]]
| rowspan="3" |''[[The Hospital]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Silver Bear Jury Prize]]
|{{won}}
|-
|OCIC Award
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Directors Guild of America Awards]]
|1971
|[[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directing – Feature Film]]
|''Love Story''
|{{nom}}
|-
|1993
|Honorary Life Member Award
|{{N/A}}
|{{won}}
|-
|1999
|Robert B. Aldrich Award
|{{N/A}}
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Directors Guild of Canada|Directors Guild of Canada Awards]]
|2004
|Lifetime Achievement Award
|{{N/A}}
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Golden Globe Awards]]
|1971
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
|''Love Story''
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Golden Raspberry Awards]]
|1999
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director|Worst Director]]
|''[[An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn]]''
|{{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=1998 RAZZIE® Nominees & "Winners" - The Official RAZZIE® Forum |url=http://www.razzies.com/forum/1998-razzie-nominees-winners_topic348.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831204759/http://www.razzies.com/forum/1998-razzie-nominees-winners_topic348.html |archive-date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.razzies.com |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[Palm Springs International Film Festival]]
|2002
|Director's Achievement Award
|{{N/A}}
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
|1962
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series|Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series]]
|[[Naked City (TV series)|''Naked City'']]
|{{nom}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Comedy 1962 - Nominees & Winners |url=https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/1962/outstanding-directing-for-a-comedy-series |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref>
|}
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|2137}}
*{{EmmyTVLegends name|arthur-hiller|Arthur Hiller}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-npo}}
{{succession box
| title = [[President of Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences]]
| before= [[Robert Rehme]]
| years = 1993–1997
| after = [[Robert Rehme]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Arthur Hiller}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Arthur Hiller
|list =
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Director}}
{{Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiller, Arthur}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Canadian television directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Edmonton]]
[[Category:Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners]]
[[Category:NBC]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]
[[Category:Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:University of Toronto alumni]]
[[Category:Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Jewish Canadian film people]]
[[Category:Canadian comedy film directors]]
[[Category:Canadian fantasy film directors]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States]]