William A. Wellman
A hard-living former WWI pilot who directed the first Best Picture Oscar winner and forged a rugged, muscular style of American filmmaking.
1896–1975 (age 79)·American director and actor·Birthday: February 29·The Lost Generation
Biography
William 'Wild Bill' Wellman brought the swagger and scars of his experience as a World War I fighter pilot in the Lafayette Flying Corps directly onto the Hollywood soundstage. His films were characterized by a physical, fast-paced, and often brutally honest aesthetic, whether depicting the dogfights of 'Wings'—which won the first Academy Award for Best Picture—or the gritty urban dramas of the Pre-Code era. He excelled at action and adventure, but also delivered sharp social commentaries like 'The Public Enemy,' which made James Cagney a star, and the original 'A Star Is Born.' Wellman's direction was unpretentious and forceful, favoring kinetic energy over poetic reflection, a style that mirrored his own pugnacious personality and deep understanding of masculine codes and courage under pressure.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
William was born in 1896, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When William Was Born
The biggest hits of 1896
William's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1896Born
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Started school
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Became a teenager
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Could drive
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could vote
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Turned 21
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Turned 30
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1936Turned 40
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 50
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 60
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 70
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Died at 79
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Key Achievements
- Directed 'Wings' (1927), the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture at the inaugural Oscars ceremony.
- Helmed the seminal gangster film 'The Public Enemy' (1931), which catapulted James Cagney to stardom.
- Won the Best Story Academy Award for co-writing the original 'A Star Is Born' (1937), which he also directed.
- Directed the pioneering pre-code social drama 'Heroes for Sale' (1933), a critical look at the treatment of WWI veterans.
Did You Know?
He was one of the first American directors to use a moving camera in a dramatic film, for 'Wings'.
He was expelled from high school for dropping a stink bomb on the principal's head.
He flew with the French Lafayette Flying Corps in WWI, was shot down, and earned the Croix de Guerre.
He turned down the opportunity to direct 'The Wizard of Oz'.
“I make pictures for the masses, not the classes.”
