Arthur Hiller

Arthur Hiller
Hiller directing Love Story in 1970
BornNovember 22, 1923
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
DiedAugust 17, 2016(2016-08-17) (aged 92)
Resting placeMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationVictoria School of the Arts
Alma materUniversity College, Toronto (B.A., 1947)
OccupationDirector
Years active1955–2006
Notable workLove Story
Style
Spouse
Gwen Pechet
(m. 1948; died 2016)
Children2
Military career
Allegiance Canada
Branch Royal Canadian Air Force
Service years1941–1945
Unit427 Lion Squadron
Conflicts
President of the Directors Guild of America
In office
1989–1993
Preceded byFranklin J. Schaffner
Succeeded byGene Reynolds
President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
In office
1993–1997
Preceded byRobert Rehme
Succeeded byRobert Rehme

Arthur Hiller, OC (November 22, 1923 – August 17, 2016) was a Canadian film and television director. He directed over 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), which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including for 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), The Hospital (1971), The Out-of-Towners (1970), Plaza Suite (1971), The Man in the Glass Booth (1975), Silver Streak (1976), The In-Laws (1979), Making Love (1982), and 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.