Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. It was named after the boulevard that runs through Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California. The film stars William Holden as Joe Gillis, an unsuccessful screenwriter, Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a faded silent movie star who draws him into her fantasy world where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen with Erich von Stroheim as Max Von Mayerling, her butler and ex-husband. Nancy Olson, Fred Clark, Lloyd Gough and Jack Webb play...
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quick facts
Release date:August 10, 1950
Directed by:Billy Wilder
Runtime:110 Minutes
Producer:Charles Brackett
Editor:Arthur P. Schmidt, Doane Harrison
Music by:Franz Waxman
Cinematography:John F. Seitz
Screenplay by:Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, D. M. Marshman, Jr.
Estimated budget:$1,752,000

Award-winners from Sunset Boulevard

Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Character:Norma Desmond
Born:March 27, 1899
Died:April 4, 1983

Cast of Sunset Boulevard

Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Born:Oct. 4, 1895
Died:Feb. 1, 1966
William Holden
William Holden
Joe Gillis
Born:Apr. 17, 1918
Died:Nov. 16, 1981
H. B. Warner
H. B. Warner
Born:Oct. 26, 1875
Died:Dec. 21, 1958
Hedda Hopper
Hedda Hopper
Born:May 2, 1885
Died:Feb. 1, 1966
Fred Clark
Fred Clark
Sheldrake
Born:Mar. 19, 1914
Died:Dec. 5, 1968
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Max Von Mayerling
Born:Sept. 22, 1885
Died:May 12, 1957

Honors and Awards

YearAward Won
1950 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Charles Brackett
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Drama Film, Gloria Swanson
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Film, Billy Wilder
1950 National Board of Review Award for Best Actress, Gloria Swanson
1951 Academy Award for Best Art Direction
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, Franz Waxman
1950 Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Samuel M. Comer
1950 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Drama, Charles Brackett
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YearAward Nomination
1950 Academy Award for Best Director, Billy Wilder
1950 Academy Award for Best Picture, Charles Brackett
1950 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, D. M. Marshman, Jr.
1950 Academy Award for Actress in a Leading Role, Gloria Swanson
1950 Academy Award for Actor in a Leading Role, William Holden
1950 Academy Award for Actor in a Supporting Role, Erich von Stroheim
1950 Academy Award for Actress in a Supporting Role, Nancy Olson
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Film, Billy Wilder
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Drama Film, Gloria Swanson
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Film, Erich von Stroheim
1950 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, Billy Wilder
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, Franz Waxman
1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, Charles Brackett
1950 Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Hans Dreier
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Film director of Sunset Boulevard

Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Born: June 22, 1906
Died: March 27, 2002

Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age. Wilder is one of only five people who...
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TitleReleasedRatedGenre
Billy Wilder filmography
Buddy Buddy 1981 R (USA) Comedy
Fedora 1978 PG (USA) Thriller
The Front Page 1974 PG (USA) Comedy
Avanti! 1972 R (USA) Comedy
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 1970 PG-13 (USA) Thriller
The Fortune Cookie 1966 Comedy
Kiss Me, Stupid 1964 PG-13 (USA) Comedy
Irma la Douce 1963 Comedy
One, Two, Three 1961 Comedy
The Apartment 1960 Comedy
Some Like It Hot 1959 PG (USA) Comedy
Witness for the Prosecution 1958 Thriller
Love in the Afternoon 1957 Comedy
The Spirit of St. Louis 1957 PG (USA) Action
The Seven Year Itch 1955 Comedy
Sabrina 1954 Comedy
Stalag 17 1953 Comedy
Ace in the Hole 1951
Sunset Boulevard 1950
The Emperor Waltz 1948 Musical
A Foreign Affair 1948 Comedy
The Lost Weekend 1945
Death Mills 1945 Short Film
Double Indemnity 1944 Thriller
Five Graves to Cairo 1943
The Major and the Minor 1942 Comedy
Mauvaise Graine 1934 Comedy
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Music contributors for Sunset Boulevard

Franz Waxman
Franz Waxman

Franz Waxman was a German-American composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasie for violin and orchestra, based on musical themes from the Bizet...
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Filming locations for Sunset Boulevard

Los Angeles
Los Angeles

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in the state of California, and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of 468.67 square miles , and is located in Southern California. Often known by...
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q:
    Who was the director of the film "Sunset Boulevard"?
  • A:
    Billy Wilder was the movie's director.
  • Q:
    The film, "Sunset Boulevard" is in what genre?
  • A:
    The film is labeled as: Film noir and Black-and-white.
  • Q:
    When was the premier of the movie "Sunset Boulevard"?
  • A:
    The movie premiered in August, 1950.
  • Q:
    What tagline was used in TV commercials for the movie, "Sunset Boulevard"?
  • A:
    The movie's slogan was, "A Hollywood Story."
  • Q:
    Who was the costume designer for the film Sunset Boulevard?
  • A:
    Edith Head was the costume designer for the film Sunset Boulevard.
  • Q:
    Who distributed the film, "Sunset Boulevard"?
  • A:
    Paramount Pictures distributed the film.
  • Q:
    Who played the production role for "Sunset Boulevard"?
  • A:
    Charles Brackett produced the movie.
  • Q:
    Which awards did the motion picture "Sunset Boulevard" receive?
  • A:
    The movie received the , Academy Award for Best Art Direction and Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay.
  • Q:
    Who was the writer for the movie Sunset Boulevard?
  • A:
    Billy Wilder wrote the movie's script.
  • Q:
    How much was the estimated cost to "Sunset Boulevard"?
  • A:
    $1.8 million was the cost to make this movie.

Awards & Accolades

  • Best Art Direction
    1951
  • Best Original Screenplay
    1951
  • NBR Best Movies of the 1950's
    1950

Quotes

  • All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.

    - Norma Desmond
  • I am big! It's the pictures that got small.

    - Norma Desmond
Sunset Boulevard
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