George Englund

Directing

George Englund

Born 1926-06-22 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA

George Englund (June 22, 1926 – September 14, 2017) was an American film editor, director, producer, and actor. Englund was born George Howe Ripley in Washington, D.C., the son of actress Mabel Albertson and Harold Austin Ripley. His mother was Jewish. His uncle was actor Jack Albertson. After his parents divorced, his mother married Ken Englund, whose surname young George adopted. Englund was married to actress Cloris Leachman from 1953 to 1978. They had five children: Adam, Bryan (1955-1986), George, Jr., Morgan, and Dinah. While he was married to Leachman he had an affair with actress Joan Collins, which was confirmed by Leachman. "He was very handsome, very urbane, incredibly witty. Fascinating. And eight years older than me," Collins said. On April 10, 1980, he married actress Bonnie Graves. They had two children: Graves and Max (1982-1994). The couple divorced in 1992. For the last ten years of his life, his companion was Frances Bowes, art collector, patron, and vice-chair lady at Dia Center for the Arts. Max Englund died from complications from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that starts in the central nervous system (CNS) and affects all the muscles in the body. He was best friends with Marlon Brando, who starred in Englund's 1963 film The Ugly American, and wrote a memoir about their friendship.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Dark of the Sun poster
6.6

A band of mercenaries led by Captain Curry travel through war-torn Congo across deadly terrain, battling rival armies, to steal $50 million in uncut diamonds. But infighting, sadistic rebels and a time lock jeopardize everything.

Dark of the Sun

1968

Challenger poster
6.5

A profile of the astronauts, crew, and civilians who were involved in the January 28, 1986 flight of the spaceship, Challenger, that resulted in its explosion upon takeoff. The center point of the film is the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the use of the o-rings that ultimately were blamed for the explosion.

Challenger

1990

The Shoes of the Fisherman poster
6.8

Ukrainian bishop Kiril Lakota, a political prisoner in a Soviet gulag for twenty years, is unexpectedly released and sent to the Vatican, where, upon the sudden death of the Pope, leader of the Catholic Church, he must face a challenging destiny that will put the future of the entire world in his hands.

The Shoes of the Fisherman

1968

The Ugly American poster
6.6

An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing at the hands of conservatives to become ambassador to Sarkan, a southeast Asian country where civil war threatens a tense peace. Despite his knowledge, once he's there, MacWhite sees only a dichotomy between the U.S. and Communism. He can't accept that anti-American sentiment might be a longing for self-determination and nationalism. So, he breaks from his friend Deong, a local opposition leader, ignores a foreman's advice about slowing the building of a road, and tries to muscle ahead. What price must the country and his friends pay for him to get some sense?

The Ugly American

1963

The Ugly American poster
6.6

An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing at the hands of conservatives to become ambassador to Sarkan, a southeast Asian country where civil war threatens a tense peace. Despite his knowledge, once he's there, MacWhite sees only a dichotomy between the U.S. and Communism. He can't accept that anti-American sentiment might be a longing for self-determination and nationalism. So, he breaks from his friend Deong, a local opposition leader, ignores a foreman's advice about slowing the building of a road, and tries to muscle ahead. What price must the country and his friends pay for him to get some sense?

The Ugly American

1963

The Vegas Strip War poster
4.0

Neil Chaine, a charming Las Vegas hotel/casino owner, tries to turn his decaying building into the Strip's top attraction to avenge his outing by his former partners who run a more fancy hotel/casino just across the street.

The Vegas Strip War

1984

The Vegas Strip War poster
4.0

Neil Chaine, a charming Las Vegas hotel/casino owner, tries to turn his decaying building into the Strip's top attraction to avenge his outing by his former partners who run a more fancy hotel/casino just across the street.

The Vegas Strip War

1984

Zachariah poster
5.3

A blacksmith and an amateur gunslinger embark on journey through the west together but soon separate and have surreal experiences of their own.

Zachariah

1971

Zachariah poster
5.3

A blacksmith and an amateur gunslinger embark on journey through the west together but soon separate and have surreal experiences of their own.

Zachariah

1971

The World, the Flesh and the Devil poster
6.4

Ralph Burton is a miner who is trapped for several days as a result of a cave-in. When he finally manages to dig himself out, he realizes that all of mankind seems to have been destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. He travels to New York City only to find it deserted. Making a life for himself there, he is flabbergasted to eventually find Sarah Crandall, who also managed to survive. Together, they form a close friendship until the arrival of Benson Thacker who has managed to pilot his small boat into the city's harbor. At this point, tensions rise between the three, particularly between Thacker, who is white, and Burton, who is black.

The World, the Flesh and the Devil

1959

Dixie: Changing Habits poster
4.3

Dixie is caught operating a whorehouse, and is sentenced to 90 days house arrest in a convent! Can Dixie bend to the ways of the convent nuns to avoid jail?

Dixie: Changing Habits

1983

Dixie: Changing Habits poster
4.3

Dixie is caught operating a whorehouse, and is sentenced to 90 days house arrest in a convent! Can Dixie bend to the ways of the convent nuns to avoid jail?

Dixie: Changing Habits

1983

The Streets of L.A. poster
7.0

A woman embarks on a lone pursuit of three teenaged hoods in the Los Angeles barrio after becoming incensed at their malicious tire-slashing on parked cars including hers.

The Streets of L.A.

1979

See How She Runs poster
8.0

A middle-aged housewife and mother, after spending a lifetime giving to others, decides to claim a piece for herself and enters the grueling 26-mile Boston Marathon as an obsessive means of self-expression.

See How She Runs

1978

A Christmas to Remember poster
7.5

A city-bred grandson moves to his grandparents' farm during the Great Depression and grows up enough under their tough care to help his grandfather deliver a surprise gift on Christmas Eve to their community church with the help of a phantom stranger.

A Christmas to Remember

1978

A Christmas to Remember poster
7.5

A city-bred grandson moves to his grandparents' farm during the Great Depression and grows up enough under their tough care to help his grandfather deliver a surprise gift on Christmas Eve to their community church with the help of a phantom stranger.

A Christmas to Remember

1978

Signpost to Murder poster
6.2

An escaped mental patient from an asylum for the criminally insane, reported to be homicidal, hides out in a woman's rural home.

Signpost to Murder

1964

Snow Job poster
5.8

A famous skier, his mistress and a ski instructor rob a bank in the Alps and hide the loot in a crevasse.

Snow Job

1972