Editing George Roy Hill (section)

==Early career==
After being discharged, Hill worked as a newspaper reporter in [[Texas]], then took advantage of the [[GI Bill]] to do graduate work at [[Trinity College, Dublin]], studying [[James Joyce]]'s use of music in ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'' and ''[[Finnegans Wake]]''.<ref name="Telegraph"/> Some sources say he graduated in 1949 with a [[bachelor's degree]] in literature.<ref name="CBSobit">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sting-director-george-roy-hill-dies/|title='Sting' Director George Roy Hill Dies|agency = The Associated Press| date=December 27, 2002|work=CBS News |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20021228013624/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/27/entertainment/main534537.shtml  |archive-date   =   December 28, 2002 |url-status=live|access-date  =  June 11, 2022 }}</ref>

Other sources say his thesis was never completed because he became sidetracked by the [[Irish theater]],<ref name="Telegraph"/> making his stage debut as a walk-on part in 1947<ref name="NY Times"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mooncove.com/cusack/stage.htm|title= Cyril Cusack Stage Work     |access-date=   June 11, 2022 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044647/http://www.mooncove.com/cusack/stage.htm|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>March 11, 1947, ''The Irish Press'', pg. 6</ref> at the [[Gaiety Theatre, Dublin]],<ref name="Times"/> with [[Cyril Cusack]]'s company in a production of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[The Devil's Disciple (play)|The Devil's Disciple]]''.<ref name="Telegraph"/> He had a leading role in ''Raven of Wicklow'' by [[Bridget G. MacCarthy]] in the same theater in February 1948.<ref>February 23, 1948, ''The Irish Press'', pg. 5</ref><ref>B.G. MacCarthy, 'Raven of Wicklow: an historical play in five scenes', in ''Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review'' (December 1946), pp. 481–512</ref>

===Actor===
On his return to the U.S., Hill studied theatre at [[HB Studio]]<ref>[https://hbstudio.org/about-hb-studio/alumni/ HB Studio Alumni]</ref> in [[New York City]]. He acted [[Off Broadway]] and toured with [[Margaret Webster]]'s Shakespeare Repertory Company. He appeared on [[Broadway theater|Broadway]] in ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'', ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'',  and [[August Strindberg]]'s ''[[Creditors (play)|Creditors]]'' (with [[Bea Arthur]]).

In 1952 he featured in a supporting role in the [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] movie ''[[Walk East on Beacon]]'',<ref name="Telegraph"/> and appeared in episodes of ''[[Lux Video Theatre]]'' including "The Doctor's Wife", "Man at Bay" and "Masquerade". He also acted in episodes of ''[[Kraft Theatre]]'' such as "The Golden Slate". He also acted on radio,<ref name="guard"/> including portraying Ned on ''[[The Doctor's Wife (radio series)|The Doctor's Wife]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Magee |title=Fiction Fashioned To Jibe With Fact In 'Doctor's Wife' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-the-doctors-wi/147876455/ |access-date=May 22, 2024 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |date=May 16, 1952 |page=16|via = [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>

===Television and theatre director===
Hill used his Korean War experience as the basis for a TV drama, "My Brother's Keeper", which appeared on ''[[Kraft Television Theatre]]'', with Hill himself in the cast. During his military service at Cherry Point, he had had to be 'talked down' by a ground controller at [[Atlanta]] airport, an incident that led to his writing the screenplay. The episode was performed and transmitted live in 1953.<ref name="Times"/> After his [[demobilisation]], he joined the ''Kraft Television Theatre'' as a writer, one of his scripts included ''[[Keep Our Honor Bright]]''.<ref name="Telegraph"/> He later directed episodes of ''[[Ponds Theater]]'' ("Time of the Drought"), and ''Lux Video Theatre'' ("The Creaking Gate", "Not All Your Tears", "The Happy Man".) Hill returned to Broadway in 1957 as director of the [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning play ''[[Look Homeward, Angel (play)|Look Homeward, Angel]]''. Starring [[Jo Van Fleet]] and [[Anthony Perkins]], this ran for 564 performances.<ref name="Telegraph"/>

Hill continued to direct television, most notably episodes of ''Kraft Theatre'' including "Eleven O'Clock Flight", "The Devil as a Roaring Lion", "Good Old Charlie Faye", "[[A Night to Remember (TV play)|A Night to Remember]]", an adaptation of [[Walter Lord]]'s book about the sinking of the [[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]<ref name="Times"/> (of which Hill also co-wrote the teleplay). In addition he did "Man on the White Horse", "Carnival", and "A Real Fine Cutting Edge" with [[George Peppard]] for ''[[The Kaiser Aluminum Hour]]''. Hill's work on "A Night to Remember" earned him two [[Emmy]] nominations for writing and directing at the [[9th Primetime Emmy Awards]]. He directed some famous episodes of ''[[Playhouse 90]]'' including "[[Helen_Morgan_(Playhouse_90)|The Helen Morgan Story]]" (1957), "[[The_Last_Clear_Chance_(Playhouse_90)|The Last Clear Chance]]" (1958), "[[Child_of_Our_Time_(Playhouse_90)|Child of Our Time]]" (1958), and "[[Judgment_at_Nuremberg_(Playhouse_90)|Judgment at Nuremberg]]" (1959).

Hill then focused on theatre, directing the Broadway productions of ''The Gang's All Here'' (1960) with [[Melvyn Douglas]] (132 performances), ''[[Greenwillow]]'' (1960) with [[Anthony Perkins]] (97 performances) and ''[[Period of Adjustment]]'' (1961) by [[Tennessee Williams]], which ran for 132 performances. He replaced [[Elia Kazan]] for the latter.<ref>Zolotow, Sam. (April 28, 1960). Kazan bows out of Williams play: conflict in schedules forces director to relinquish job – replaced by George Hill. New York Times (1923–), {{OCLC|1645522}} {{ISSN|0362-4331}}, {{ProQuest|114998219}}.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Palmer |first1=R. Barton |title=Period of Adjustment and Hack Writing |journal=The Tennessee Williams Annual Review |date=2016 |issue=15 |pages=87–105 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48615434 |access-date=June 11, 2022 |publisher=Historic New Orleans Collection |location=JSTOR |doi=10.2307/48615434 |jstor=48615434 |s2cid=252175801 |quote=in offering his excuses to the Times reporter, Kazan perhaps protested too much that a schedule problem was all there was to it. Embarrassed, Williams refused to let the matter drop: he aired his hurt feelings to another reporter at the same paper, and Kazan’s departure was at once transformed into a professional feud that played out in public, to the chagrin of both parties. Of course, the brouhaha created the worst kind of publicity for the Broadway production, as Williams simply would not accept Kazan’s explanation that he was occupied with directing the William Inge adaptation Splendor in the Grass}}</ref>

===Feature film director===
[[File:Paul Newman and Roy Hill, RIT NandE 1976 Jul12 Complete.jpg|thumb|right|Hill (right) with actor [[Paul Newman]] on the set of ''[[Slap Shot]]'' in 1976]]
Hill's success as a theatre director led to his first feature as director – the film version of ''[[Period of Adjustment (film)|Period of Adjustment]]'' (1962).<ref>'Adjustment' Made by George Roy Hill: More Film Rivals Urged; TV's Vanda Plans. 'Picnic' Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times December 8, 1961: C13.</ref> Starring [[Jane Fonda]] and [[Jim Hutton]], it was a box office success.<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}.</ref> He was meant to follow with an adaptation of ''[[The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich]]'' by [[William Shirer]] at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] for producer [[John Houseman]] but it was not made.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/12/02/archives/tv-director-set-for-movie-debut-george-hill-will-oversee-filming-of.html|title=TV DIRECTOR SET FOR MOVIE DEBUT: George Hill Will Oversee Filming of Play and Book|authorlink=Howard Thompson (film critic)|author=Thompson, Howard|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 2, 1961|page=16}}</ref> In light of that his next project was an adaptation of [[Lillian Hellman]]'s ''[[Toys in the Attic (1963 film)|Toys in the Attic]]'' (1963) starring Dean Martin.<ref>Yvette Plays in 'Toys in the Attic' Los Angeles Times October 9, 1962: C9.</ref> Hill's next step was a movie based on the novel ''[[The World of Henry Orient]]'' (1964). Hill and producer [[Jerome Hellman]] bought the rights for their own Pan Arts Company.<ref>BY WAY OF REPORT: 'Orient' in Manhattan --Other Film Matters Of 'Charlemagne' By A. H. WEILER. New York Times April 14, 1963: 103.</ref> The movie was critically acclaimed but was a commercial disappointment.

Hill was hired to direct the blockbuster ''[[Hawaii (1966 film)|Hawaii]]'' (1966) after [[Fred Zinnemann]] pulled out.<ref>"'Hawaii's' Direction by George Roy Hill: O'Briens Talk Pirandello; Who Needs Public Domain?". Scheuer, Philip K. ''Los Angeles Times'' April 27, 1964: C19.</ref> Reportedly, when budget estimates reached $14 million, the producers attempted to replace Hill with [[Arthur Hiller]], but abandoned the idea after hundreds of native [[Polynesians]] in the cast went on strike, declaring: "We can and will perform only for our friend, Monsieur Hill."<ref name="Telegraph"/> The movie was a huge commercial success. Hill rebuilt his Hollywood reputation with the [[Julie Andrews]] musical ''[[Thoroughly Modern Millie]]'' (1967) produced by [[Ross Hunter]]. Hill was fired during the editing process because he wanted to make the film shorter, whereas Universal wanted to turn it into a [[Roadshow theatrical release|roadshow production]].<ref name="tread">"Don't tread on George Roy Hill". Vernon, Scott. ''Chicago Tribune'' May 21, 1972: m20.</ref> However it was a solid box office hit.<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1967", ''Variety'', January 3, 1968, p 25. Please note these figures refer to [[Gross rental|rentals accruing to the distributors]].</ref>

He returned to Broadway to direct ''[[Henry, Sweet Henry]]'' (1967), a musical version of ''The World of Henry Orient'', but it only lasted for 80 performances. He was meant to follow that with a film called ''Hamburger Dreams'', about a screenwriter in 1930s Hollywood, but it was never made.<ref>Director for 'Hamburger'
Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times May 8, 1967: e36.</ref> Instead, Hill had a huge commercial success with ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'' (1969), based on a script by [[William Goldman]] and starring [[Paul Newman]] and [[Robert Redford]]. The film received seven [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations, including ones for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], and won four, including for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]], "[[Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head]]" at the [[42nd Academy Awards]].<ref name="super"/> In 1970, he said a common theme of his films was innocence vs evil.<ref>A Partisan of the New-Old West Blume, Mary. Los Angeles Times March 15, 1970: p51.</ref> Hill followed it with ''[[Slaughterhouse-Five (film)|Slaughterhouse-Five]]'' (1972). "Most of the characters in my film are not too bright," he said in a 1972 interview.<ref name="tread"/>

Hill was reunited with Newman and Redford in ''[[The Sting]]'' (1973), which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director at the [[46th Academy Awards]].<ref name="Times"/> The success of ''Butch Cassidy'' and ''The Sting'' meant that, for a time, Hill was the only director in history to have made two of the top 10 money-making films.<ref name="NY Times"/> Hill disliked tardiness on set. Paul Newman said of his time (as [[Butch Cassidy]]) on ''Butch Cassidy'': "If you weren’t on time, he’d take you up in his airplane. Scare the bejesus out of us."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article693084.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517061419/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article693084.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 17, 2011|title=Interview|date=July 27, 2006|access-date=May 3, 2010|first=Greg|last=Hurst}}</ref>

===Later career===
''[[The Great Waldo Pepper]]'' (1975) was based on a story by Hill, with a script by [[William Goldman]] and starring Robert Redford. However, it was a commercial disappointment. Around that time he said in an interview: "Just as I play nothing but Bach for pleasure, so do I read nothing but history for pleasure. I like to be able to sit back and pick out the most fascinating facets of an era. You have a better perspective. In the present, you get too caught up in the heat of the emotions of the moment."<ref name="Times"/>

In August 1974, Hill signed an exclusive five-year contract with [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] to make projects following ''Pepper''.<ref>Hill in Pact With Universal
Los Angeles Times August 9, 1974: f14.</ref> "Why shouldn't we give George that kind of deal?" said studio executive [[Jennings Lang]]. "He's the complete filmmaker. He can put a blank piece of paper in the typewriter and make a movie out of it up to and including the music."<ref name="entertainment"/> Hill made ''[[Slap Shot]]'' (1977), a popular sports comedy with Paul Newman.<ref>Movies: ''Hill gauges acting intensity of his stars''. Siskel, Gene. Chicago Tribune April 10, 1977: e5.</ref> His next film was ''[[A Little Romance]]'' (1979), and ''[[The World According to Garp (film)|The World According to Garp]]'' (1982), with [[Robin Williams]] and [[Glenn Close]], in her film debut. He also directed ''[[The Little Drummer Girl (film)|The Little Drummer Girl]]'' (1984) with [[Diane Keaton]].

His last film was ''[[Funny Farm (film)|Funny Farm]]'' (1988) with [[Chevy Chase]]. Screenwriter [[Jeffrey Boam]] said, "George wanted to do a much classier version than I ever imagined it to be. I imagined it to be a little cruder, more low-brow humor, rougher and more like the movies Chevy was doing at the time, but George was a classy guy and he wasn’t going to do that ... I think a lot of Chevy’s fans were let down because it wasn’t as raucous and vulgar as they might have expected."<ref name="boam">{{Cite web|url=https://www.assignmentx.com/2013/exclusive-interview-the-last-crusade-of-screenwriter-jeffrey-boam/|website=Assignment X|title=Exclusive Interview:The Last Crusade of Jeffrey Boam|date=May 1, 2013|first=A.C. |last=Ferrante|publisher=Midnight Productions|access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref>

During his later years he taught drama at Yale.<ref name="guard"/>