About Me
John Ford Biography (1895-1973)
Real name, Sean Aloysius O'Feeney (or John Augustine Feeney); born February 1, 1895, in Cape Elizabeth, ME; died August 31, 1973, in Palm Desert, CA; sonof Sean and Barbara (maiden name, Curran) O'Feeney; married Mary McBryde Smith, 1920; children: one son, one daughter. Religion: Roman Catholic. Career: Director, actor, stuntman, and special effects man. Universal, actor, stuntman, and special effects man, 1914-17, then contract director, 1917-21; Fox Film Corp, signee, 1921; Military service: Assembled film crew that became Field Photographic Branch of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, 1940; U.S. Marine Corps, 1942-45, Lieutenant Commander; was given the rank of Rear Admiral by President Nixon, Naval Reserve; Legion of Merit and Purple Heart. Awards, Honors: Venice Film Festival Special Recommendation Award, 1934, for The World Moves On; Academy Award, best director, and New York Film Critics Award, best direction, both 1935, for The Informer; Venice Film Festival Special Recommendation Award, 1936, for Mary of Scotland; New York Film Critics Award, best direction, 1939, for Stagecoach; Academy Award, best director, 1940, for Grapes of Wrath;Academy Award, best director, and New York Film Critics Award, best direction, both 1941, for How Green Was My Valley; Academy Award nomination, best picture, 1941, for The Long Voyage Home; Academy Award, best documentary, 1942, for Battle of Midway; Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Award for Feature Films, 1952, Academy Award, best director, 1953, and Academy Award nomination, best picture, 1953, all for The Quiet Man; D.W. Griffith Award, 1954; Golden Globe Pioneer Award, 1955; Venice Festival Grand Lion Award, 1971; American Film Institute LifetimeAchievement Award, 1973; Brandeis University Creative Arts Award, 1973; Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1973.
