Born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary to a Jewish family, Curtiz was a son to a carpenter father and an opera singer mother. In 1905, he Hungaricised his name to Mihály Kertész.
Curtiz had a lower to middle-class upbringing. He recalled during an interview that his family's home was a cramped apartment, where he had to share a small room with his two brothers and a sister. "Many times we are hungry", he added.
After graduating from high school, Curtiz studied at Markoszy University, followed by the Royal Academy of Theater and Art, in Budapest, before beginning his career.
Curtiz became attracted to the theater when he was a child in Hungary. He built a little theater in the cellar of his house when he was eight years old, where he and five of his friends re-enacted plays. They set up the stage, with scenery and props, and Curtiz directed them.
Before coming to Hollywood, Curtiz always considered the story before he began working on a film. The human-interest side of a story was key, along with having the plot develop as the film progressed. He explains:
After he graduated from college at age nineteen, he took a job as an actor with a traveling theater company, where he began working as one their traveling players.
From that job, Curtiz became a pantomimist with a circus for a while, but then returned to join another group of traveling players for a few more years.
They played William Shakespeare and Norwegian playwright and theatre director Henrik Ibsen in various languages, depending on in what country they were.
The troupe performed throughout Europe, including France, Hungary, Italy, and Germany, and he eventually learned five languages. Curtiz also had various responsibilities.
Around 1918, Curtiz married his first wife: Hungarian actress of the silent era Lucy Doraine. However, they were divorced in 1923.
Two years later, Curtiz married his second wife, French-American actress and singer Lili Damita, in 1925, and they divorced the following year in 1926. The marriage to Damita, however, is disputed.
Curtiz was already a well-known director in Europe when Warner Bros. invited him to Hollywood in 1926, when he was thirty-nine years of age. He had already directed sixty-four films in Europe, and soon helped Warner Bros. become the fastest-growing movie studio.
One of Curtiz's regular polo partners was American film producer Hal B. Wallis, who had met Curtiz on his arrival in the country and had established a close friendship with him.
Wallis' wife, the American silent comedy film actress Louise Fazenda, and Curtiz's third and final wife, American screenwriter and silent film actress Bess Meredyth, an actress and screenwriter, had been close since before Curtiz's marriage to Meredyth in 1929.
In 1933, Curtiz became a naturalized American. citizen. By the early 1940s, he had become fairly wealthy, earning $3,600 per week ($66,000 today) and owning a substantial estate, complete with polo pitch.
He later put Doris Day and John Garfield on screen for the first time, and he made stars out of Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Bette Davis. Curtiz himself was nominated for an Oscar five times but won only twice.
Curtiz had introduced to Hollywood a unique visual style using artistic lighting, extensive and fluid camera movement, high crane shots, and unusual camera angles.
He was versatile and could handle any kind of picture: melodrama, comedy, love story, film noir, musical, war story, Western, or historical epic.
He always paid attention to the human-interest aspect of every story as well, stating that the "human and fundamental problems of real people" were the basis of all good drama.
While Curtiz himself had escaped Europe before the rise of Nazism, other members of his family were not as lucky.
He once asked Jack Warner, who was going to Budapest in 1938, to contact his family and help them get exit visas. Warner succeeded in getting Curtiz's mother to the United States, where she spent the rest of her life living with her son.
However, he could not rescue Curtiz's only sister, her husband, or their three children, who were sent to Auschwitz, where her husband and two of the children were killed.
Curtiz had directed one hundred and two films during his Hollywood career, mostly at Warners, where he directed ten actors to Oscar nominations. James Cagney and Joan Crawford won their only Academy Awards under Curtiz's direction.
By putting time into preparation, Curtiz cut down on delays after production started which gave him the ability to put out about six films a year until the 1940s.
In the late 1940s, Curtiz made a new agreement with Warner Bros. under which the studio and his own production company were to share the costs and profits of his subsequent films.
These films did poorly, however, whether as part of the changes in the film industry in this period or because Curtiz "had no skills in shaping the entirety of a picture".
Curtiz was, however, frequently unfaithful to Meredyth, and had numerous affairs; Meredyth once left him for a short time, but they remained married until 1962, shortly before her husband's death.
Curtiz had separated from her around 1960-1961, but did not seek a divorce and was still legally married to Meredyth at the time of his death.
Despite this, she was Curtiz's helper whenever his need to deal with scripts or other elements went beyond his grasp of English, and he often phoned her for advice when presented with a problem while filming.
After his relationship with Warner Bros. broke down, Curtiz continued to direct on a freelance basis from 1954 onwards.
Either way, as Curtiz himself said, "You are only appreciated so far as you carry the dough into the box office. They throw you into gutter next day". The long partnership between director and studio eventually descended into a bitter court battle.
According to Curtiz's directing style, he always invested in the time necessary to prepare all aspects of a film before shooting.
"As far as I am concerned," he said, "the chief work in directing a film is in preparing a story for the screen ... Nothing is as important ... A director can be likened to the field general of an army. He should know more clearly than anyone else what is coming, what to expect ... I believe this as a sound working plan."
A few months after arriving in Hollywood as Warner Bros.' new director, Curtiz explained that he wanted to make viewers feel as though they were actually witnessing a story on screen.
To accomplish this end, the camera must assume many personalities. For the most part it assumes the personality of the audience.
At moments when the interest is high and the illusion of the audience is greatest, the camera alternately places itself in the position of the various characters, as the dramatic burden shifts from actor to actor.
This entails much movement of the camera. If it cuts off at each position so that it seems to jump from place to place, the effect is noticeable and the reception of the story is marred. In many cases, therefore, the camera must move from position to position without stopping, just as a person would."
In preparing scenes, Curtiz liked to compare himself to an artist, painting with characters, light, motion, and background on a canvas.
Curtiz was therefore seen by many as more of a versatile master technician who worked under Warner Bros.' direction, rather than as an auteur with a unique and recognizable style.
Wallis, of whom had produced 'Casablanca', said Curtiz had always been his favorite director. He was a superb director with an amazing command of lighting, mood and action. He could handle any kind of picture: melodrama, comedy, Western, historical epic or love story."
Curtiz himself rarely expressed his philosophy or filmmaking style in writing since he was always too busy making films, so no autobiography and only a few media interviews exist.
His brother noted also that Curtiz was "shy, almost humble," in his private life, as opposed to his "take-charge" attitude at work.
His brother adds that "he did not want anybody to write a book about him. He refused to even talk about the idea."
When Curtiz was once asked to sum up his philosophy of making movies, he said, "I put all the art into my pictures that I think the audience can stand."
Before coming to Hollywood, Curtiz always considered the story before he began working on a film. The human-interest side of a story was key, along with having the plot develop as the film progressed. He explains:
"First I look for "human interest" when a story is given me. If that interest is predominant over the action then I believe the story is good. Always it is my desire to tell that story as if the camera were a person relating the incidents of a happening."
Despite this, his attitude did not change when he joined a large studio, despite being given large spectacles to direct.
As late as the 1940s, he still preferred "homey pictures." He said it was "because I want to deal with human and fundamental problems of real people. That is the basis of all good drama.
It is true even in a spectacle, where you must never forget the underlying humanity and identity of your characters no matter how splendid the setting or situations are."
However, he also felt that even with the same story, any five different directors would produce five distinctive versions. "No two would be alike," he said, as each director's "work is reflection of himself."
Curtiz was always extremely active: he worked very long days, took part in several sports in his spare time, and was often found to sleep under a cold shower.
He skipped lunches since they interfered with his work and he felt they often made him tired. He was therefore dismissive of actors who ate lunch, believing that "lunch bums" had no energy for work in the afternoons.
Wallis said he was "a demon for work." Curtiz arose each morning at 5:00 A.M. and typically remained at the studio until 8:00 or 9:00 P.M. "He hated to go home at the end of the day," said Wallis. With his high energy level, Curtiz also attended to every minute detail on the set.
To broaden his life experiences in the United States, since Curtiz seldom traveled outside of Hollywood, he tended to be restless and curious about everything in the area when he did go on location shoots. Wallis, who as the producer, was often with him, notes that he explored everything.
Curtiz had a thirst for knowledge; he wanted to see the poolrooms, the flophouses, the Chinese sections, the slums—everything strange and exotic and seedy so that he could add to the knowledge that gave his pictures their amazing degree of realism.
Curtiz eventually earned the nickname "Iron Mike" from his friends, since he tried to keep physically fit by playing polo when he had time, and owned a stable of horses for his recreation at home.
He had attributed his fitness and level of energy solely to sober living. Even with his vast success and wealth over the years, Curtiz did not allow himself "to be fondled in the lap of luxury.
Curtiz passed from cancer in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on April 11, 1962. He was 75. At the time of his death, he was living alone in a small apartment in Sherman Oaks, California. Curtiz is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Curtiz had directed some of the most well-known films of the 20th century, achieving numerous award-winning performances from actors. Warner, who first discovered Curtiz after seeing one of his epics in Europe, called him "Warner Brothers' greatest director."
Curtiz had directed some of the most well-known films of the 20th century, achieving numerous award-winning performances from actors.
Warner, who first discovered Curtiz after seeing one of his epics in Europe, called him "Warner Brothers' greatest director."
Curtiz eventually earned a reputation as a harsh taskmaster to his actors, as he micromanaged every detail on the set.
With his background as director since 1912, his experience and dedication to the art made him a perfectionist. He had an astounding mastery of technical details, including lighting, cinematography, and editing.
Wallis considered him to be a superb director, with "amazing command of lighting, mood and action, who could handle any kind of picture: melodrama, comedy, Western, historical epic or love story." Curtiz had also directed musicals and war films.
Some, such as American screenwriter, film director and producer Robert Rossen ('The Hustler') question whether Curtiz has "been misjudged by cinema history," since he is not included among those often considered to be great directors.
These are American film director John Ford, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock:
"He was obviously a talent highly alert to the creative movements of his time such as German expressionism, the genius of the Hollywood studio system, genres such as film noir, and the possibilities offered by talented stars."
In 1989, 'Casablanca' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.
According to Roger Ebert, 'Casablanca' is "probably on more lists of the greatest films of all time than any other single title, including Citizen Kane" because of its wider appeal.
Ebert opined that 'Citizen Kane' is generally considered to be a "greater" film, but 'Casablanca' "is more loved."
In his opinion, the film is popular because "the people in it are all so good", and it is "a wonderful gem".
Ebert said that he has never heard of a negative review of the film, even though individual elements can be criticized, citing unrealistic special effects and the stiff character/portrayal of Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid).
Ebert had even called Ingrid Bergman "luminous", and commented on the chemistry between her and Humphrey Bogart: "she paints his face with her eyes".
Over the years, 'Casablanca' has made the American Film Institute's (AFI) 100 list in various categories numerous times. Below are the examples:
| 1998 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies | 2 |
| 2001 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills | 37 |
| 2002 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions | 1 |
| 2003 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains | 4: Rick Blaine (hero) |
| 2004 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs | 2: "As Time Goes By" |
| 2005 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes | 5: "Here's looking at you, kid." 20: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." 28: "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'." 32: "Round up the usual suspects." 43: "We'll always have Paris." 67: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." These six lines were the most of any film (Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz tied for second with three apiece). Also nominated for the list was "Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."[140] |
| 2006 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers | 32 |
| 2007 | AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) |
In 1993, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 1995, 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.
In 1996, 'Mildred Pierce' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.
In 1998, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' was ranked #100 on the 100 Years...100 Movies list, by the American Film Institute.
One of the most prolific directors in the history of cinema, Curtiz thrived in the studio system as the top helmsman at Warner Bros. Studio in the 1930s and 1940s.
Tirelessly hammering out four or five films a year, Curtiz relentlessly tackled both low-budget pictures and more prestigious Oscar-baiting fare, all the while proving amazingly adept at creating lavish results on minimal budgets in a wide variety of genres.
He was nonetheless a tireless director who left behind a rich legacy, some of which displayed the very best Hollywood had to offer.
Curtiz had been active from 1912–1961.
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