Biography
Henry Hathaway, born Henri Leopold de Fiennes, was a child actor in western one-reelers (often for director
Allan Dwan) of the early 1900s, and appeared in numerous films through the teens. An assistant director in the '20s, he became a director with a string of
Randolph Scott westerns in the early '30s, and soon made his mark with the
Gary Cooper films
Now and Forever (1934),
The Lives Of A Bengal Lancer (1935), and
Peter Ibbetson (1935). He also directed the
Mae West comedy Go West,Young Man (1936). In the '40s he made several memorable crime films, including
Johnny Apollo (1940),
Kiss Of Death (1947), and
Call Northside 777 (1948), as well as two documentary-style espionage thrillers for producer
Louis de Rochemont,
The House on 92nd Street (1945) and
13 Rue Madeleine (1946). He continued to make solid and exciting films in a range of genres through the mid '70s, but is most fondly remembered for his westerns
From Hell To Texas (1958) and
True Grit (1969). ~ All Movie Guide