Elia Kazan

Elia Kazan

Elia Kazan ( September 7 , 1909, Kayseri – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American director and actor, described as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". He also produced, and wrote screenplays and novels. Born in the Kayseri, Ottoman Empire to Greek parents, they emigrated to New York when he was four. After two years studying acting at Yale, he acted professionally for eight years before becoming a stage and film director. Kazan co-founded the influential Group Theater in 1932 and Actors Studio in 1947, and together with Lee Strasberg, introduced Method acting to the American stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological "realism". Having been an actor himself for eight years, he brought sensitivity and understanding of the acting process, and was later considered the ideal "actor's director". He himself acted in only a few films, including City for Conquest (1940), alongside James Cagney. Overall, Kazan influenced the films of the 1950s and 1960s by his run of provocative, issues-driven subjects, and acting. Moreover, his personal brand of cinema, employing real locations over sets, unknowns over stars, and realism over convenient genres, proved influential to a whole generation of independent filmmakers in the 1960s. Film author Ian Freer concludes that "If his achievements are tainted by political controversy, the debt Hollywood — and actors everywhere — owes him, is enormous." In 2010, Martin Scorsese co-directed the documentary film, A Letter to Elia, as a personal tribute to Kazan, who he credits as the inspiration for his becoming a filmmaker.

  • Title: Elia Kazan
  • Popularity: 8.543
  • Known For: Directing
  • Birthday: 1909-09-07
  • Place of Birth: Constantinople, Ottoman Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Elia Kazanjoglous, 엘리아 카잔, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου, Еліа Казан, Ηλίας Καζάν
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Elia Kazan Movies

  • 2017
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    Arthur Miller: Writer

    Arthur Miller: Writer

    7.2 2017 HD

    One of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, Arthur Miller created such celebrated works as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, which...

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  • 2006
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    An Actor Named Brando

    An Actor Named Brando

    1 2006 HD

    A short overview of Brando's career.

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  • 1940
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    City for Conquest

    City for Conquest

    6.8 1940 HD

    The heartbreaking but hopeful tale of Danny Kenny and Peggy Nash, two sweethearts who meet and struggle through their impoverished lives in New York...

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  • 2001
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    Backstory: 'Gentleman's Agreement'

    Backstory: 'Gentleman's Agreement'

    1 2001 HD

    Darryl F. Zanuck ignores the protests of his peers and makes a movie about antisemitism called "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947).

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  • 1941
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    Blues in the Night

    Blues in the Night

    6.2 1941 HD

    A struggling band find themselves attached to a fugitive and drawn into a series of old feuds and love affairs, as they try to stay together and find...

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  • 2010
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    A Letter to Elia

    A Letter to Elia

    6.4 2010 HD

    Director Martin Scorsese speaks candidly and passionately about one of his formative filmmaking influences: the late Elia Kazan. Utilizing precisely...

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  • 1995
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    A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies

    A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies

    7.9 1995 HD

    Martin Scorsese celebrates American movies from the silent classics to the Hollywood of the seventies.

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  • 1995
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    Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey

    Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey

    5.8 1995 HD

    This documentary on the life and work of Academy award-winning director Elia Kazan highlights his colorful life on Broadway and in film, which is...

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  • 1982
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    Elia Kazan: An Outsider

    Elia Kazan: An Outsider

    5.7 1982 HD

    Hour long documentary on the legendary director.

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  • 1988
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    Hello Actors Studio

    Hello Actors Studio

    6 1988 HD

    After Lee Strasberg’s death in 1982, the most prestigious talents from the Actors Studio assumed the leadership of this exceptional...

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  • 1990
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    Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret

    Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret

    1 1990 HD

    A leading acting teacher who trained some of the most famous performers of the stage and screen, Sanford Meisner was a founding member of the Group...

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  • 1935
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    Strangers All

    Strangers All

    5.5 1935 HD

    Domestic drama about an elderly woman and her four squabbling adult children.

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  • 2014
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    Inside Rupert Pupkin

    Inside Rupert Pupkin

    1 2014 HD

    Thelma Schoonmaker on Martin Scorsese and 'The King of Comedy'

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  • 2024
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    Faye

    Faye

    6.8 2024 HD

    Through honest reflection, complemented by insight from colleagues and friends, Faye Dunaway contextualizes her life and filmography, laying bare her...

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  • 2006
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    A Man Named Brando

    A Man Named Brando

    1 2006 HD

    Documentary short on Marlon Brando included in the DVD extras of The Streetcar Named Desire.

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  • 1988
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    Mist

    Mist

    4.7 1988 HD

    Two Turkish brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the political fence. When one of the brothers is murdered, the boys' father suspects that...

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  • 2014
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    Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire

    Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire

    7.3 2014 HD

    In his early days as an actor, Marlon Brando (1924-2004) was a shy young man with theatrical ambitions, like many others; but his charisma and superb...

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  • 1969
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    A New Lifestyle

    A New Lifestyle

    1 1969 HD

    Mini-doc on the set of Elia Kazan's "The Arrangement" (1969).

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  • 1935
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    Pie in the Sky

    Pie in the Sky

    6.375 1935 HD

    At a skid row mission, a cleric opines as men wait to eat. After his sermon, he brings out a pie and cuts it into small slices. The two men at the...

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  • 1951
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    The Screen Director

    The Screen Director

    6 1951 HD

    A documentary short film depicting the work of the motion picture director. An anonymous director is shown preparing the various aspects of a film...

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  • 1994
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    Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage

    Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage

    1 1994 HD

    A study of Tennessee Williams's life and work as a whole, ranging from his youth in Mississippi and in St. Louis to success and acclaim, followed by...

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  • 1980
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    I Am Wanda

    I Am Wanda

    6 1980 HD

    Documentary about American film director and actress Barbara Loden featuring an interview filmed in 1980.

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  • 2019
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    An American Named Kazan

    An American Named Kazan

    6 2019 HD

    Elia Kazan represented the American dream. An immigrant who came without anything and who became the Prince of Hollywood and Broadway after World War...

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  • 1985
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    Empire City

    Empire City

    9 1985 HD

    A film essay contrasting the modern metropolis with its "golden age" from 1830-1930, with the participation of some of New York's leading political...

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  • 1950
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    Panic in the Streets

    Panic in the Streets

    6.8 1950 HD

    A medical examiner discovers that an innocent shooting victim in a robbery died of bubonic plague. With only 48 hours to find the killer, who is now...

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  • 2006
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    A Streetcar in Hollywood

    A Streetcar in Hollywood

    6.5 2006 HD

    How the play was adapted to Film

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  • 2006
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    A Streetcar on Broadway

    A Streetcar on Broadway

    6.5 2006 HD

    Interviews and photos about the play on Broadway

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  • 2003
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    Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist: None Without Sin

    Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist: None Without Sin

    1 2003 HD

    Director Elia Kazan and playwright Arthur Miller were once best friends and professional colleagues, to most that knew them then in both capacities...

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  • 1955
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    East of Eden

    East of Eden

    7.6 1955 HD

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  • 1955
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    East of Eden

    East of Eden

    7.6 1955 HD

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  • 1954
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    On the Waterfront

    On the Waterfront

    7.9 1954 HD

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  • 1951
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    A Streetcar Named Desire

    A Streetcar Named Desire

    7.6 1951 HD

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  • 1952
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    Viva Zapata!

    Viva Zapata!

    6.902 1952 HD

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  • 1945
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    A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

    A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

    7.6 1945 HD

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  • 1957
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    A Face in the Crowd

    A Face in the Crowd

    7.6 1957 HD

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  • 1957
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    A Face in the Crowd

    A Face in the Crowd

    7.6 1957 HD

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  • 1950
    imgMovies

    Panic in the Streets

    Panic in the Streets

    6.8 1950 HD

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  • 1947
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    Gentleman's Agreement

    Gentleman's Agreement

    7 1947 HD

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  • 1956
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    Baby Doll

    Baby Doll

    7.1 1956 HD

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  • 1961
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    Splendor in the Grass

    Splendor in the Grass

    7.5 1961 HD

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  • 1961
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    Splendor in the Grass

    Splendor in the Grass

    7.5 1961 HD

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  • 1963
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    America America

    America America

    6.9 1963 HD

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  • 1956
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    Baby Doll

    Baby Doll

    7.1 1956 HD

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  • 1949
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    Pinky

    Pinky

    7.1 1949 HD

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  • 1976
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    The Last Tycoon

    The Last Tycoon

    6.3 1976 HD

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  • 1963
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    America America

    America America

    6.9 1963 HD

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  • 1963
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    America America

    America America

    6.9 1963 HD

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  • 1969
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    The Arrangement

    The Arrangement

    6.7 1969 HD

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  • 1969
    imgMovies

    The Arrangement

    The Arrangement

    6.7 1969 HD

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  • 1947
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    Boomerang!

    Boomerang!

    6.9 1947 HD

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  • 1960
    imgMovies

    Wild River

    Wild River

    7.3 1960 HD

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  • 1947
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    The Sea of Grass

    The Sea of Grass

    6.2 1947 HD

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  • 1953
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    Man on a Tightrope

    Man on a Tightrope

    6.5 1953 HD

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  • 1972
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    The Visitors

    The Visitors

    6.1 1972 HD

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  • 1945
    imgMovies

    Watchtower Over Tomorrow

    Watchtower Over Tomorrow

    5 1945 HD

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  • 1937
    imgMovies

    People of the Cumberland

    People of the Cumberland

    5.8 1937 HD

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  • 1969
    imgMovies

    The Arrangement

    The Arrangement

    6.7 1969 HD

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  • 1969
    imgMovies

    The Arrangement

    The Arrangement

    6.7 1969 HD

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  • 1949
    imgMovies

    Pinky

    Pinky

    7.1 1949 HD

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  • 1960
    imgMovies

    Wild River

    Wild River

    7.3 1960 HD

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  • 2001
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    Diaspora

    Diaspora

    1 2001 HD

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  • 1962
    imgS5 E257

    The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

    5.3 1962 HD

    The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC,...

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  • 1953
    imgS72 E1

    The Oscars

    The Oscars

    7 1953 HD

    An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a...

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  • 1978
    imgS46 E1

    The Kennedy Center Honors

    The Kennedy Center Honors

    7.2 1978 HD

    The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.

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  • 1974
    imgS24 E16

    Spécial cinéma

    Spécial cinéma

    1 1974 HD

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  • 1956
    imgS10 E7

    Cinépanorama

    Cinépanorama

    8 1956 HD

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  • 1975
    imgS16 E25

    Apostrophes

    Apostrophes

    8.5 1975 HD

    Apostrophes was a live, weekly, literary, prime-time, talk show on French television created and hosted by Bernard Pivot. It ran for fifteen years...

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  • 1968
    imgS12 E100

    The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

    6.6 1968 HD

    The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.

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  • 1964
    imgS19 E3

    Die Drehscheibe

    Die Drehscheibe

    6 1964 HD

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