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Sam Spiegel

Sam Spiegel
Born Samuel P. Spiegel
November 11, 1901
Jarosław, Austrian Poland
Died December 31, 1985(1985-12-31) (aged 84)
Saint Martin, in the Caribbean
Alma mater University of Vienna
Occupation film producer
Years active 1927–1983
Notable work On the Waterfront, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia
Spouse(s) Lynn Baggett (divorce)
Rachel Agranovich (m. 1920)
Betty Spiegel (1930-2013)
Children Adam Spiegel
Alisa Freedman
Parent(s) Simon Spiegel
Regina Spiegel
Awards Irving Thalberg Memorial Award

Samuel P. "Sam" Spiegel (November 11, 1901 – December 31, 1985) was an Polish-born American independent film producer. He was the first to win the Academy Award for Best Picture three times, and the only one to be the sole producer on all three winning films.

Spiegel was born to a Jewish family in Jarosław, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now in Poland). His parents were Regina and Simon Spiegel (a tobacco wholesaler). He received his education at the University of Vienna. His brother was Shalom Spiegel, a professor of medieval Hebrew poetry.

Spiegel worked briefly in Hollywood in 1927 following a stint serving with Hashomer Hatzair in Palestine. He then went to Berlin to produce German and French adaptations of Universal films until 1933 when he fled Germany. As an independent producer, Spiegel helped produce a number of European films.

In 1938, he immigrated to Mexico and subsequently the United States.

Between 1935 and 1954, Spiegel billed himself as S. P. Eagle; after that he used his real name. His nickname was the "velvet octopus" after his propensity to entwine himself with women in the back of taxi cabs and manage Hollywood with a velvet touch according to Billy Wilder. He loved London and admired the British, as is reflected with his greatest movies The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), which won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, while The Bridge on the River Kwai won seven, including Best Picture. Starting with the 1951 film The African Queen, he produced films through his British-based production company Horizon Pictures. Spiegel was embraced by the British as one of theirs, living in Central London, yet remained feared by Hollywood for his talent, style, and womanizing.


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