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Alfred Hitchcock

Born: 13 August 1899, Leytonstone, London
Died: 29 April 1980, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Portraits (11)

  • The Mountain Eagle (1926) (1)

  • The Ring (1927) (1)

  • Portraits (11)

  • The Mountain Eagle (1926) (1)

  • The Farmer's Wife (1928) (1)

  • The Ring (1927) (1)

  • Blackmail (1929) (4)

  • The Farmer's Wife (1928) (1)

  • The Skin Game (1931) (1)

  • Blackmail (1929) (4)

  • Rich and Strange (1931) (2)

  • The Skin Game (1931) (1)

  • Number Seventeen (1932) (1)

  • Rich and Strange (1931) (2)

  • The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) (4)

  • Number Seventeen (1932) (1)

  • The 39 Steps (1935) (3)

  • The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) (4)

  • Sabotage (1936) (4)

  • The 39 Steps (1935) (3)

  • Young and Innocent (1937) (3)

  • Sabotage (1936) (4)

  • The Lady Vanishes (1938) (2)

  • Young and Innocent (1937) (3)

  • Foreign Correspondent (1940) (1)

  • Notorious (1946) (1)

  • The Lady Vanishes (1938) (2)

  • Rope (1948) (2)

  • Foreign Correspondent (1940) (1)

  • Under Capricorn (1949) (2)

  • Notorious (1946) (1)

  • Rope (1948) (2)

  • Stage Fright (1949) (1)

  • Under Capricorn (1949) (2)

  • Strangers on a Train (1951) (3)

  • Stage Fright (1949) (1)

  • Rear Window (1954) (5)

  • Strangers on a Train (1951) (3)

  • The Wrong Man (1956) (2)

  • Rear Window (1954) (5)

  • Vertigo (1958) (8)

  • The Wrong Man (1956) (2)

  • Psycho (1960) (7)

  • Vertigo (1958) (8)

  • The Birds (1963) (9)

  • Marnie (1964) (3)

  • Psycho (1960) (7)

  • Torn Curtain (1966) (1)

  • The Birds (1963) (9)

  • Family Plot (1976) (2)

  • Marnie (1964) (3)

  • Torn Curtain (1966) (1)

  • Family Plot (1976) (2)

  • Stills (55)

  • Stills (55)

One of the world's greatest directors, Alfred Hitchcock excelled in a variety of genres during his early British career, before moving to Hollywood in 1939. It was here he became known as the 'Master of Suspense', producing some of the most analysed works in the history of cinema. With Vertigo in contention for the top spot in Sight & Sound's Greatest Films Poll, and the BFI's restoration of his surviving silent films, Hitchcock's remarkable body of work remains as relevant as ever.

Highlighted works

The Farmer's Wife

A housekeeper tries to find a suitable wife for a widowed landowner in a rare venture by Alfred Hitchcock into romantic comedy.

The Manxman

Two men fall in love with the same woman in Alfred Hitchcock’s melodrama, set on the Isle of Man (though filmed in Cornwall).

The Lodger A Story of the London Fog

A strange lodger may be a serial killer in Alfred Hitchcock’s first suspense thriller.

Blackmail

A woman kills a man in self-defence but falls victim to a blackmailer in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller, made in both silent and sound versions.

The Ring

An Australian boxer threatens the relationship of a young fighter and his fiancée in Alfred Hitchcock’s superior melodrama.

Notorious

In one of Hitchcock’s darkest thrillers, a traitor’s daughter is engaged by an American agent to get close to one of her father’s Nazi associates.

Dial M for Murder

One of Hitchcock’s stagier thrillers, confined largely to a single set, where Grace Kelly kills in self-defence only to find herself accused of her attacker’s murder.

Downhill

Ivor Novello plays a schoolboy who is falsely accused of getting a girl pregnant and descends into disgrace, in Alfred Hitchcock’s dark melodrama.

Champagne

Alfred Hitchcock directs the fizzy tale of a millionaire who pretends to lose his fortune to teach his wayward daughter a lesson.

The Lady Vanishes

A mysterious disappearance on a continental train journey is the backdrop to the perfectly executed comic thriller that paved Hitchcock’s way to Hollywood.

The 39 Steps

Master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock perfected his favourite thriller set-up – the innocent man on the run – with this adaptation of John Buchan’s classic adventure novel.

The Pleasure Garden

Alfred Hitchcock’s directorial debut, made when he was 25, follows the love lives of two dancers at a London nightspot.

Vertigo

A former detective with a fear of heights is hired to follow a woman apparently possessed by the past, in Alfred Hitchcock’s timeless thriller about obsession.

Easy Virtue

Alfred Hitchcock adapts Noël Coward’s melodrama about a divorced woman rejected by society.

Filmography

1920
  • The Great Day Intertitles
  • The Call of Youth Intertitles
1921
  • Appearances Intertitles
  • The Princess of New York Intertitles
  • Dangerous Lies Intertitles
  • The Mystery Road Intertitles
  • Beside the Bonnie Briar Bush Intertitles
1922
  • Number Thirteen Director
  • Tell Your Children Intertitles
  • Three Live Ghosts Intertitles
  • The Man from Home Intertitles
  • The Spanish Jade Intertitles
  • Love's Boomerang Intertitles
1923
  • Always Tell Your Wife [Director]
  • Woman to Woman Assistant Director
    Script
    Art Director
1924
  • The White Shadow Assistant Director
    Adaptation and Dialogue
    Art Director
  • The Passionate Adventure Assistant Director
    Screenplay
    Art Director
1925
  • The Pleasure Garden Director
  • The Blackguard Assistant Director
    Screenplay
    Art Director
  • The Prude's Fall Assistant Director
    Screenplay
    Art Director
1926
  • The Lodger A Story of the London Fog Director
    [Scenario]
    [man in newsroom/on-looker at arrest?]
  • The Mountain Eagle Director
1927
  • The Ring Director
    Written by
  • Downhill Director
  • Easy Virtue Director
    [man exiting tennis court?]
1928
  • The Farmer's Wife Directed by
  • Champagne Directed by
    Adaptated by
1929
  • The Manxman Directed by
  • Blackmail Director
    Adaptation
    [harassed Underground traveller]
  • Blackmail Director
    Adaptation
  • Blackmail - Test Take Director
    on-screen participant
  • Alfred Hitchcock Home Movies cast member
1930
  • Murder! Directed by
    Adapted by
    passer-by with woman
  • Juno and the Paycock Directed by
    Adapted by
  • An Elastic Affair Director
  • Elstree Calling Sketches and other Interpolated Items
1931
  • Rich and Strange Directed by
    Adapted by
  • Mary Director
  • The Skin Game Directed by
    Adapted by
1932
  • Number Seventeen Directed by
    Scenario
1933
  • Lord Camber's Ladies An Alfred Hitchcock Production
1934
  • The Man Who Knew Too Much Directed by
  • Waltzes from Vienna Directed by
1935
  • The 39 Steps Directed by
    [passer-by near the bus]
1936
  • Secret Agent Directed by
  • Sabotage Directed by
1937
  • Young and Innocent Directed by
    photographer outside courthouse
1938
  • The Lady Vanishes Directed by
    [man at Victoria railway station]
1939
  • Jamaica Inn Directed by
1940
  • Foreign Correspondent Directed by
    [passer-by with newspaper]
  • Rebecca Directed by
    [passer-by]
  • The House across the Bay [Director of Additional Scenes]
1941
  • Mr. & Mrs. Smith Directed by
    [passer-by]
  • Suspicion Directed by
1942
  • Saboteur Directed by
    Story
    [man reading newspaper]
1943
  • Shadow of a Doubt Directed by
    [card player aboard train]
1944
  • Lifeboat Directed by
  • Aventure Malgache Director
  • Bon Voyage Director
1945
  • Spellbound Directed by
    [man exiting lift]
  • Memories of the Camps Compiler/Guiding director
1946
  • Notorious Directed by
    [Producer]
    [champagne drinker at party]
1947
  • The Paradine Case Directed by
    [man carrying cello]
1948
  • Rope Directed by
    [Producer]
    [man in "Reduco" neon advert]
1949
  • Stage Fright Directed by
    Producer
    [passer-by on street]
  • Under Capricorn Directed by
    [Producer]
    [man in crowd listening to speech]
  • Man Running Director
1951
  • Strangers on a Train Directed by
    [man boarding train with double bass]
1953
  • I Confess Director
    [man crossing top of flight of steps]
1954
  • The Trouble with Harry Directed by
    [Producer]
    [man walking past exhibition]
  • Dial M for Murder Directed by
    [man in school reunion dinner photo]
  • To Catch a Thief Directed by
    [Producer]
    [passenger at back of bus]
  • Rear Window Directed by
    [Producer]
    [man winding clock at song writer's]
1955
  • Revenge Director
    A Production by
  • Breakdown Director
    A Production by
  • The Case of Mr. Pelham Director
    A Production by
  • The Man Who Knew Too Much Directed by
    [man watching acrobats]
1956
  • The Wrong Man Director
    [introductory appearance]
  • Back for Christmas Director
    A Production by
  • Mr. Blanchard's Secret Director
    A Production by
  • Wet Saturday Director
    Producer
  • Shopping for Death Producer
  • And So Died Riabouchinska Producer
  • The Gentlemen from America Producer
1957
  • The Perfect Crime Director
  • Four O'Clock Director
    Executive Producer
  • One more Mile to Go Director
    A Production by
  • The Glass Eye Producer
  • Rainy Day Producer
  • The Cream of the Jest Producer
  • Heartbeat Producer
  • The Diplomatic Corpse Producer
  • The Wrong Man (Trailer) cast member
1958
  • Poison Director
    A Production by
  • Dip in the Pool Director
  • Vertigo Directed by
    [man outside shipyard]
  • Lamb to the Slaughter Director
  • Together A production by
  • The Eye of Truth Producer
  • Lord Arthur Savile's Crime Producer
  • The Bull Skinner Producer
  • Meeting in Paris Producer
  • The Man with the Gun Producer
  • The Way up to Heaven Producer
  • Voice in the Night Producer
1959
  • North by Northwest Directed by
    Producer
    [man who misses bus]
  • Banquo's Chair Director
  • The Crystal Trench Director
  • Arthur Director
1960
  • Incident at a Corner Director
  • Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat Director
  • Psycho Directed by
    [Producer]
    [man outside realty office]
  • Man from the South Producer
  • Psycho (Trailer) cast member
  • Psycho Promotional Material cast member
  • Picture Parade[05/07/60] interviewee
1961
  • The Horseplayer Director
  • Bang! You're Dead Director
  • Kaleidoscope Director
  • I Spy Producer
1962
  • I Saw the Whole Thing Director
  • The Door without a Key Producer
1963
  • The Birds Directed by
    [Producer]
    [man with two poodles]
  • The Westcliff Cine Club Visits Mr Hitchcock in Hollywood on-screen participant
1964
  • Marnie Directed by
    [man in hotel corridor]
  • Marnie (Trailer) cast member
  • Monitor[05/07/64] interviewee
1965
  • Off Season Executive Producer
    host
  • Hitchcock on Grierson presenter
1966
  • Torn Curtain Directed by
    [Producer]
    [man in hotel lobby with infant]
  • Kee and Levin [09/05/1966] cast member
  • Interview with Alfred Hitchcock on-screen participant
  • Alfred Hitchcock interviewee
1967
  • Alfred Hitchcock interviewee
1968
  • I Remember, I Remember introduction
1969
  • HITCH... HITCH... HITCHCOCK [Subject of Film]
  • Topaz Producer
    [man in wheelchair]
  • Alfred Hitchcock interviewee
  • Hitchcock at the NFT interviewee
1970
  • Makin' It cast member
1971
  • Frenzy Featurette cast member
  • The Talkies Come to Britain interviewee
  • Frenzy Featurette Material cast member
1972
  • Frenzy Directed by
    Producer
    man in bowler hat listening to speech
  • Alfred the Great on-screen participant
1973
  • Alfred Hitchcock [Subject of Film]
    on-screen participant
1976
  • Family Plot Directed by
    [Producer]
    [silhouette on office door window]
  • The Elstree Story on-screen participant
1977
  • Once upon a Time Is Now...The Story of Princess Grace Interviewee
1980
  • Vintage Hitchcock [Subject of Film]
1983
  • Psycho II The Producers acknowledge their debt to
1987
  • It Started Like Any Other Day... Appearance in trailer for PSYCHO
1989
  • Alfred Hitchcock [Subject of Film]
1991
  • Alfred Hitchcock - Donald Spoto interviewee
1995
  • Lifepod Suggested By A Short Story By
  • Opportunity Lost Interviewee (1968 footage)
  • End of an Era Interviewee (1971 footage)
1997
  • Close up on Hitchcock [Subject of Film]
1998
  • Psycho In Memory of
1999
  • Hitch Part One Alfred the Great [Subject of Film]
  • Hitch Part Two Alfred the Auteur [Subject of Film]
2000
  • Dial H for Hitchcock [Subject of Film]
2001
  • Alfred Hitchcock [Subject of Film]
  • Le LOUP ET L'AGNEAU - JOHN FORD ET ALFRED HITCHCOCK interviewee
2002
  • Nft @ 50 Fifty Years of the National Film Theatre NFT archive footage
2006
  • Gas From an original story by
2007
  • Guns, Gangsters and Getaways The Story of the British Thriller Interviewee [archive 1960]
2009
  • Double Take [Subject of Film]
  • Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock [subject of programme]
Unknown year
  • The Short Night Director
  • Philip Strick on Hitchcock Pt 1 Subject of lecture
  • Philip Strick on Hitchcock Pt 3 Subject of lecture
  • Directed by Hitchcock [Subject of Film]

Related articles

Alfred Hitchcock at the NFT
Alfred Hitchcock and Bryan Forbes at the NFT

Interviewed at the National Film Theatre by Bryan Forbes in 1967, Alfred Hitchcock discusses the medium of film, theatre and television, violence, and biting the heads off rats.

Surviving: Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock

John Russell Taylor interviews Alfred Hitchcock on being a survivor in Hollywood. From Sight & Sound magazine, Summer 1977.

Working with Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock with Sylvia Sidney and Oscar Homolka on the set of Sabotage

Ivor Montagu worked with Alfred Hitchcock during the 1920s and 30s. Here, he recalls his experiences.

Alfred Hitchcock: The filmmaker as Englishman and exile
Alfred Hitchcock and Janet Leigh on the set of Psycho

By Philip French. From Sight & Sound magazine, Spring 1985.

Under the influence
Alfred Hitchcock

Dominik Moll openly avows Hitchcock as an influence on his film Lemming. But what is the meaning of this affinity between the French and the lugubrious suspense master, asks Robin Buss.

Parallel lines: Hitchcock the screenwriter
Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho

Hitchcock worked with name writers, yet their screenplays were always typically Hitchcockian. How did he do it, asks Larry Gross.

Directors on Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Rear Window

Film directors discuss Alfred Hitchcock's legacy and select his most definitive scenes.

The business of fear
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

Crimes, thrills, death – Hitchcock’s English films play on dread of the law, but keep sympathy with the outsider, argues Ray Durgnat.

A-Z of Cinema: H is for Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock on the set of The Birds

David Thomson considers the motifs and motives in the master's work.

Hitchcock’s style: Blackmail

In 1929, Hitchcock directed the first full-length British ‘talkie’, Blackmail. The film was begun as a mostly silent film, for which the studio gave Hitchcock permission to shoot a few sound sequences. Ignoring this, he instead shot two versions of the film – one entirely silent (for the majority of cinemas not yet equipped for sound) and the other almost entirely with sound.

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39 Steps to Hitchcock

Follow a step-by-step journey through the genius of Alfred Hitchcock.

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