Hal Ashby

Hal Ashby (September 2, 1929 - December 27, 1988) was an American film director and Academy Award winner.

Related Topics:
September 2 - 1929 - December 27 - 1988 - American - Academy Award

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Born in Ogden, Utah, Ashby grew up in a Mormon household and had a tumultuous childhood as part of a dysfunctional family which included the divorce of his parents, his father's suicide and dropping out of high school. In his late teens, Ashby married but soon after divorced.

Related Topics:
Ogden, Utah - Mormon - Dysfunctional family - Suicide

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As Ashby was entering adult life, he moved from Utah to California where he quickly became an assistant film editor. His big break occurred in 1967 when he won the Academy Award for Film Editing for In the Heat of the Night.

Related Topics:
California - Film editor - 1967 - Academy Award for Film Editing - In the Heat of the Night

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At the urging of its director, Norman Jewison, Ashby directed his first film, The Landlord, in 1970. Over the next 16 years, Ashby directed several acclaimed and popular films, including the off-beat romance Harold and Maude and the social satire Being There with Peter Sellers.

Related Topics:
Norman Jewison - The Landlord - 1970 - Harold and Maude - Being There - Peter Sellers

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Hal Ashby died of cancer on December 27, 1988 in Malibu, California.

Related Topics:
December 27 - 1988 - Malibu, California

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