Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the
classic Hollywood era. Critic
Leonard Maltin labeled Hawks "the greatest American director who is not a household name," noting that, "while his work may not be as well known as
Ford,
Welles, or
DeMille, he is no less a talented filmmaker". He has influenced some of the most popular and respected directors such as
Martin Scorsese,
Robert Altman,
John Carpenter, and
Quentin Tarantino. His work is admired by many notable directors including
Peter Bogdanovich,
François Truffaut,
Michael Mann and
Jacques Rivette. He is popular for his films from a wide range of genres such as
Scarface (1932),
Bringing Up Baby (1938),
Only Angels Have Wings (1939),
His Girl Friday (1940),
Sergeant York (1941),
To Have and Have Not (1944),
The Big Sleep (1946),
Red River (1948),
The Thing from Another World (1951),
Monkey Business (1952),
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and
Rio Bravo (1959).