James Hill (August 1, 1916 – January 11, 2001) was an American film producer and screenwriter active from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and came to Hollywood as a writer, working on films and televisions shows for Warner Brothers Pictures and Columbia Broadcasting System. He was eventually teamed with film producer Harold Hecht and actor Burt Lancaster when the pair produced His Majesty O'Keefe for their own film production company, Norma Productions. The movie was filmed in 1952 in the Fiji Islands, but only released in 1954.
In 1953, Hecht and Lancaster formed the imprint Hecht-Lancaster Productions and began producing films for United Artists, hiring Hill as producer for Vera Cruz, The Kentuckian and Trapeze. In early 1956, before Trapeze was released, Lancaster and Hecht announced in a press conference that Hill had been made an equal partner in their film production company; Hecht-Lancaster Productions would be changing name to Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions at the start of the next fiscal year in January 1957. From 1954 to 1959, the Norma Productions subsidiaries Hecht-Lancaster Productions and later Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions, were the biggest and most important independent production units in Hollywood."The Struggle for Survival", Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin, September 2, 1957, p23"What's With Hecht-Hill-Lancaster?", The Tuscaloosa News, September 24, 1959, p5"Burt Lancaster Termed Enigma", The Spokesman Review, May 27, 1961, p77
Hill was the fifth and final husband of actress Rita Hayworth, married from 1958 to 1961. The pair met when Hayworth was filming Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' Separate Tables. Like Hayworth, he developed Alzheimer's disease. He died in Santa Monica, California in 2001.
Filmography YearFilmProduction companyDistribution companyRoleAwards1954His Majesty O'KeefeNorma ProductionsWarner Brothers PicturesScreenwriter1954Vera CruzHecht-Lancaster Productions / Flora ProductionsUnited ArtistsProducer1955The KentuckianHecht-Lancaster Productions / James ProductionsUnited ArtistsProducerNominated—Venice Film Festival Golden Lion1956TrapezeHecht-Lancaster Productions / Joanna Productions / Susan ProductionsUnited ArtistsProducerBambi Award for Best Actress – International Berlin International Film Festival Silver Berlin Bear Award for Best Actor Berlin International Film Festival Bronze Berlin Bear Award for Audience Poll Nominated—Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures1957The Bachelor PartyHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / Norma ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producerNational Board of Review Award for Top Ten Films Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source Nominated—Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or1957Sweet Smell of SuccessHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / Norma Productions / Curtleigh ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producerBambi Award for Best Actor – International National Film Preservation Board National Film Registry Online Film & Television Association Award – Film Hall of Fame Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor Nominated—Golden Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance Nominated—Golden Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance1958Run Silent, Run DeepHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / Jeffrey ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producerNominated—Golden Laurel Award for Top Cinematography – Black and White1958Separate TablesHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / Clifton ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producerAcademy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress Golden Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance National Board of Review Award for Top Ten Films New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated—Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Nominated—Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Nominated—Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated—Golden Laurel Award for Top Female Dramatic Performance Nominated—Golden Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay Nominated—Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama1959The Rabbit TrapHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / Canon Productions / Anne ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producerLocarno International Film Festival Award for Best Actor1959Cry ToughHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / Canon Productions / Anne ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producer1959The Devil's DiscipleHecht-Hill-Lancaster Films / BrynaprodUnited ArtistsExecutive producerNominated—BAFTA Award for Best British Actor1959Summer of the Seventeenth DollHecht-Hill-Lancaster Proprietary LimitedUnited ArtistsExecutive producer1959Take a Giant StepHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / Sheila ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producerLocarno International Film Festival Silver Sail Award Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Film Promoting International Understanding Nominated—BAFTA United Nations Award1959Thunder in the SunCarrollton ProductionsParamount PicturesStory writer1960The UnforgivenHecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions / James ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producer1961The Happy ThievesHillworth ProductionsUnited ArtistsExecutive producer
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