Albert Maysles
| Albert and David Maysles | |
|---|---|
David (left) and Albert Maysles c. 1968
|
|
| Born |
Albert November 26, 1926 David January 10, 1931 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died |
David January 3, 1987 (aged 55), New York City, U.S. Albert March 5, 2015 (aged 88), New York City |
| Other names | The Maysles Brothers |
| Occupation | Film directors, producers |
| Years active |
Albert (1955–2015; his death) David (1955–1987; his death) |
| Style | Documentary, Direct Cinema |
Albert (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987) Maysles (pronounced /ˈmeɪzɛlz/ MAY-zɛlz) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the direct cinema style. Their best-known films include Salesman (1969), Gimme Shelter (1970) and Grey Gardens (1976).
The brothers were born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, living there until the family moved to Brookline, Massachusetts when Albert was 13. Albert and David's parents, both Jewish, were immigrants to the United States; their father, born in Ukraine, was employed as a postal clerk, while their mother, originally from Poland, was a schoolteacher. The family originally settled in Dorchester to be near relatives (the brothers' great-uncle Josef Maysles and his daughter and son-in-law, Becky and Joe Kandib) who had moved there earlier.
Albert originally pursued a career as a psychology professor and researcher. After serving in World War II, Albert obtained a BA from Syracuse University and MA in psychology from Boston University. He taught psychology at Boston University for three years, also working as a research assistant at a mental hospital and as head of a research project at Massachusetts General Hospital. As an outgrowth of his research work, he traveled to Russia to photograph a mental hospital, and returned the following year with a camera provided by CBS to film his first documentary, Psychiatry in Russia (1955). Although CBS did not air the film, it was televised on NBC, on the public broadcasting station WGBH-TV in Boston, and on Canadian network television.
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