Robert B. Sinclair | |
|---|---|
 fromMGM Studio News (1938) | |
| Born | Robert Bruce Sinclair (1905-05-24)May 24, 1905 Toledo, Ohio, US |
| Died | January 3, 1970(1970-01-03) (aged 64) |
| Cause of death | Homicide |
| Occupation | Movie director |
| Spouses | |
Robert Bruce Sinclair (May 24, 1905 – January 3, 1970) was an American director who worked infilm,theater andtelevision.
Robert Bruce Sinclair was born inToledo, Ohio, the son of an insurance agent.[1] He attended theUniversity of Pennsylvania and graduated from theWharton School of Finance and Commerce in 1926.[1][2] While studying at the University of Pennsylvania, an English professor introduced him totheater and playwrightGeorge S. Kaufman.[1]
Sinclair began his career as an assistant stage manager in October 1926 at the Greenwich Village Theater but worked there for less than a fortnight before moving to Cleveland to work at a stock company.[1] He would eventually return to New York and worked his way up tostage manager, although almost every production he worked on was not a success, which led him to publishWhy I Am Leaving the Theater, an "excoriation of the commercial stage."[1]
Sinclair became a sports desk editor forThe Morning Telegraph and later worked at theMuseum of the City of New York before, two years later, his mentor George S. Kaufman lured him back to the theater and he assisted Kaufman with his 1930 production ofOnce In a Lifetime.[1] Sinclair would direct or stage manage many theater productions, including the directing the original productions ofDodsworth (1934),Pride and Prejudice (1935),The Postman Always Rings Twice (1936),Babes in Arms (1937) andThe Philadelphia Story (1939).[1][2][3] Sinclair also became involved in film when he worked on Kaufman's 1932 film adaptation ofOnce in a Lifetime[1] and directed eight films forMetro‐Goldwyn-Mayer between 1938 and 1941.
During World War II, Sinclair was a Captain in the Air Force and directed a training video calledResisting Enemy Interrogation (1944) which received a nomination for best feature-length documentary at the17th Academy Awards.[1][4][5]
In 1947, Sinclair left Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directedMr. District Attorney forColumbia Pictures.[6] The next year, he would directThat Wonderful Urge for20th Century Fox, which would be his last film.[6]
Sinclair publishedThe Eleventh Hour in 1951, which was his only novel and was nominated for a 1952Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author.[7]
He would go on to direct episodes of various television series throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, mostly forWarners Brothers Television, includingTelephone Time,Johnny Staccato,77 Sunset Strip,Hawaiian Eye andThe Deputy.[2][6]
Sinclair was married to actress Jane Lamont Buchanan from 1934 to 1941. He moved to Beverly Hills from New York City in 1938.[2] Sinclair married actressHeather Angel on April 15, 1944 in Hollywood. He went into semi-retirement in Montecito in the mid-1960s and led an active social life, especially in theater.[2] He had a son, Anthony Sinclair, with Heather Angel and a stepdaughter, Barbara Benson.[1]
On January 3, 1970, Sinclair was repeatedly stabbed in the chest by a burglar in his Montecito home and died.[1] The assailant, Billy McCoy Hunter, a graduate student atUCSB, was later arrested and charged with murder. He was found in possession of a bloody knife and a pistol.[1][8]
As director
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