Nathan Juran
Birthday:
1 September 1907, Gura Humora, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary [now Gura Humorului, Bukovina, Romania]
Birth Name:
Naftuli Hertz Juran
Austrian-born Nathan Juran was a professional architect before entering the film industry as an art director in 1937. He won an Academy Award for art direction on How Green Was My Valley (1941). World War II interrupted his film career, and he spent his war years with the OSS. Returning to Hollywood, he turned to directing films in the 1950s. He ha...
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Austrian-born Nathan Juran was a professional architect before entering the film industry as an art director in 1937. He won an Academy Award for art direction on How Green Was My Valley (1941). World War II interrupted his film career, and he spent his war years with the OSS. Returning to Hollywood, he turned to directing films in the 1950s. He handled mostly low-budget westerns and sci-fi opuses, his most famous (or infamous) being Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) (which he filmed under the name "Nathan Hertz"). On the other hand, he was also responsible for the superb fantasy adventure The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). In the early 1960s, he journeyed to Europe, where he spent several years piloting adventure epics and spaghetti westerns. Show less «
[regarding his love for his job in a rare interview for the science-fiction fan magazine "Starlog" in 1989] I approached the picture busines...Show more »
[regarding his love for his job in a rare interview for the science-fiction fan magazine "Starlog" in 1989] I approached the picture business as a business. I always did pictures for the money, and for the creative challenges. I wasn't a born director. I was just a technician who could transfer the script from the page to the stage and could get it shot on schedule and on budget. I never became caught up in the "romance" of the movies. Show less «
[on the loyal worldwide fan following for his films] That's very gratifying. It gives me a good feeling. When I was in the picture business,...Show more »
[on the loyal worldwide fan following for his films] That's very gratifying. It gives me a good feeling. When I was in the picture business, we didn't have home video. I always felt that my movies were temporary. They were just pieces of celluloid. You couldn't eat them. You couldn't sleep in them. You couldn't use them in any practical way. So, I never really took the picture business too seriously. But now, it's nice to think that I burned on the bright side, even if it was only briefly. Show less «
