Rouben Mamoulian (born October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an American film director.
Born in what is now Tbilisi, Georgia to an Armenian family, Rouben relocated to England and started directing plays in London in 1922. He moved to America the next year and was involved in directing opera and theater. He directed his first feature in 1929, Applause , which was one of the early talkies. It was a landmark film due to Rouben's innovative use of camerawork and sound, and these qualities were carried through to his other films released in the 1930s, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) and the musical film Love Me Tonight (1932). His next two films earned him wide admiration, The Mark of Zorro (1940) and Blood and Sand (1941), both remakes of silent films.
Rouben's directing career came to an end when he was fired from two consecutive films, Porgy and Bess (1959) and Cleopatra (1963). He continued his career directing theatre productions, and started the production of widely acclaimed works such as Oklahoma!.
He died in 1987 of natural causes, in Woodland Hills, California. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street.
Director filmography
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