Stephan Wellink

Sam Spiegel: Conquering Hollywood

Robert de Young, Stephan Wellink

One of the most enigmatic and controversial movie producers in Hollywood history, Sam Spiegel fled the spectre of Nazi Germany in 1933 to become the only person to win three Oscars as sole producer for the feature films On The Waterfront (1954), Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). A maverick and an uncompromising taskmaster, the last tycoon of Hollywood’s Golden Age left behind an impressive and colourful legacy including an extensive award-winning filmography and the Sam Spiegel School of Film and Television in Jerusalem.