John Ford

John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director. He was one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. Ford made frequent use of location shooting and wide shots, in which his characters were framed against a vast, harsh, and rugged natural terrain.

He received six Academy Awards including a record four wins for Best Director for ''The Informer'' (1935), ''The Grapes of Wrath'' (1940), ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1941), and ''The Quiet Man'' (1952). He is renowned for Westerns such as ''Stagecoach'' (1939), ''My Darling Clementine'' (1946), ''Fort Apache'' (1948), ''The Searchers'' (1956), and ''The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' (1962).

In a career of more than 50 years, Ford directed more than 140 films (although most of his silent films are now lost). Ford's work was held in high regard by his contemporaries, with Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles and Ingmar Bergman naming him one of the greatest directors of all time. Provided by Wikipedia