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Robert Altman
Robert Altman TV Listings
Channel
Date & Time
Title
Buy
IFC
Sun, Nov 8, 1:15 PM
Decade Under the Influence
Buy
FMC
Wed, Nov 11, 10:00 PM
A Perfect Couple
Buy
FMC
Thu, Nov 12, 4:00 AM
A Perfect Couple
Buy
IFC
Sat, Nov 14, 2:50 PM
Decade Under the Influence
Buy
IFC
Tue, Nov 17, 6:00 AM
Decade Under the Influence
Buy
IFC
Wed, Nov 18, 11:30 AM
Decade Under the Influence
Buy
MOMAXe
Sun, Nov 22, 4:45 AM
A Prairie Home Companion
Buy
Robert Altman Biography
Birth Name:
Robert Bernard Altman
Birth Place:
Kansas City, MO
Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign:
02/20/1925, Pisces
Date of Death:
11/20/2006
Profession:
Director; screenwriter; producer
A groundbreaking filmmaker/legendary troublemaker, Altman initially tried to break into Hollywood as an actor and writer before finding his niche as a director (who often penned his films' scripts). After serving in World War II, Altman learned his craft helming industrial films and finally broke into mainstream cinema with the 1957 B-movie
The Delinquents
. He spent the next decade directing television (
Peter Gunn
,
Bonanza, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
) before returning to features in the late '60s, but he was 45 when he made his breakthrough movie, the pitch-black 1970 comedy
M
*A*S*H
, which spawned a television series of the same name. With
M
*A*S*H
, Altman found both critical and commercial success, earned his first best-director Oscar nomination, and began forging his naturalistic, signature style. Famous for his deft use of large ensemble casts, overlapping, often improvised dialogue and intricate networks of interwoven story lines that came together into a complex mosaic of American attitudes and experiences, Altman was a revered and prolific auteur in the '70s, making such iconic films as
Nashville
(which earned him a second Oscar nod) and
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
, and working with myriad stars including Carol Burnett
,
Paul Newman, Warren Beatty and Lily Tomlin. Although actors loved him, studio suits did not, as he was combative and uncompromising in his art, regardless of budget or deadlines. By the '80s, a critical backlash coupled with his cantankerous reputation and a string of high-profile flops (
Beyond Therapy
,
O.C. and Stiggs
,
Popeye
, which, though it made money, failed to do as well as expected), hurt his career. But the sexagenarian director made a remarkable comeback in the '90s, beginning with
The Player
, which brilliantly skewered the very industry that made, broke and remade him. Although the satire earned Altman his third Oscar nomination as a healdirector, and two more came with
Short Cuts
and
Gosford Park
, he didn't take home a statuette until 2006, when the Academy finally saw fit to salute him with an honorary lifetime-achievement Oscar. During his acceptance speech, he revealed that he had quietly undergone a heart transplant in the mid-'90s, which made securing insurance for what turned out to be his last film, 2006's
A Prairie Home Companion
, difficult. (Ultimately, the then-80-year-old Altman had to hire
Boogie Nights'
Paul Thomas Anderson as a backup director.) What Altman didn't divulge during that speech was that he was also battling cancer. Although he died in November 2006, the maverick moviemaker left an indelible mark on contemporary independent cinema, influencing everyone from the aforementioned Anderson to John Sayles to Paul Haggis, who ironically scored a best-film Oscar for
Crash
at the very ceremony that earned Altman his honorary award.
Robert Altman Fast Facts:
Was a copilot on B-24 bombing missions over the Dutch East Indies during World War II.
Was an extra in the 1947 Danny Kaye film
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
.
In the early '50s, he directed more than 60 industrial films, several of which featured
I Love Lucy'
s
William Frawley as comic relief.
Son Mike wrote the lyrics to the
M*A*S*H
(1970) theme song, "Suicide Is Painless," when he was 14 years old.
Founded the production company Lions Gate Films but sold it in 1981.
Received a heart transplant in 1996.
Directed Sally Kellerman, Julie Christie, Ronee Blakley, Lily Tomlin, Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith in Oscar-nominated performances.
Robert Altman Relationships:
Bernard Clement Altman - Father
Christine Westphal - Daughter
Helen Altman - Mother
Kathryn Reed - Wife
Konni Corriere - Stepdaughter
LaVonne Elmer - Ex-wife
Lotus Corelli - Ex-wife
Matthew Altman - Son
Michael Altman - Son
Robert Altman - Son
Stephen Altman - Son
Robert Altman Awards:
1989 Emmy: Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series - Winner
1993 Emmy: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Variety or Music Program - Nominee
1993 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
2002 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Winner
1970 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
1975 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
1992 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
1993 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
2001 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
1975 Oscar: Best Motion Picture of the Year - Nominee
2001 Oscar: Best Motion Picture of the Year - Nominee
2005 Oscar: Honorary Award - Winner
1971 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
1976 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
Robert Altman Biography, TV Listings and More from TVGuide.com
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