Alexander Korda
| Alexander Korda | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Sándor László Kellner 16 September 1893 Pusztatúrpásztó, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary) |
| Died | 23 January 1956 (aged 62) London, England |
| Occupation | Director, producer |
| Years active | 1914–1955 |
| Spouse(s) |
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Sir Alexander Korda (born Sándor László Kellner, 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956) was a Hungarian-born British film producer and director. He first worked in Hollywood during the transition to "talkies", from 1926 to 1930. The change led to divorce from his first wife, popular Hungarian actress María Corda, who could not make the transition because of her strong accent in English.
From 1930, Korda became a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company. Korda was the first filmmaker to have been officially knighted.
The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltan and Vincent, Korda was born Sándor László Kellner to a Jewish family in Pusztatúrpásztó (Hungary, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok area) in what is now Hungary (then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire), where he worked as a journalist.
After the death of his father Korda began writing film reviews to support his family. Korda changed his family name from Kellner to Korda—from the Latin phrase "sursum corda" which means lift up your hearts.
Korda became an important film figure through his film magazines Pesti Mozi, Mozihét and Világ. This led to invitations to write film screenplays.
Korda's first film script was for Watchhouse in the Carpathians (1914). When the First World War broke out, Korda was excused from military service in the Austrian Army because of his bad eyesight. Korda went to work at the Pedagogical Studio in Budapest and co-directed three films with Gyula Zilahy.
Korda established a film company named Corvin Film, building it into one of the largest in Hungary. In October 1919, Korda was arrested during the White Terror that followed the overthrow of the short-lived Communist government, the Hungarian Democratic Republic by reason his participation in its government. After his release, he left Hungary for Austria, and never returned to his country of birth.
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