Sidney Lumet – who-aknew.com

Sidney Lumet was an American film director, producer and screenwriter born in Philadelphia on June 25, 1924. Over six decades he directed more than 40 feature films, and 17 different actors earned Oscar nominations for performances under his direction. He died at his home in Manhattan on April 9, 2011, at age 86. His work spanned legal dramas, police corruption stories and musicals, and he received Golden Globes, a Golden Bear, a Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Film and a Bodil Award for Best American Film over his career.

Key facts

Born: 25 June 1924
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Died: 9 April 2011
Place of death: Manhattan
Country: United States
Occupation: film director; screenwriter; film producer; writer
Education: Columbia University; Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre; Professional Children’s School
Awards: Golden Globes; Golden Bear; Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Foreign Film; Bodil Award for Best American Film

Education and early theater work

Lumet studied at Columbia University, the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and the Professional Children’s School, an education that combined academic training with performance craft. In 1947 he formed an Off-Broadway acting troupe with Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach, a venture that put him in close working contact with other performers before he moved into directing himself.

Television career

Lumet began directing television in the late 1940s, working on anthology series including Studio One, You Are There, United States Steel Hour, The Alcoa Hour, Kraft Television Theatre and Playhouse 90. These programs were a regular proving ground for live and filmed drama, and the pace of that work gave him the technical grounding he later brought to feature films.

In 1961 he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Sunday Showcase, a recognition that marked his standing in television drama before his feature career had fully taken hold.

Film career

Lumet’s feature filmography grew to more than 40 titles across six decades. Seventeen different actors received Oscar nominations for performances in his films, a figure that points to how he worked with his casts. He received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, shared with Jay Presson Allen, for Prince of the City (1981). His final film was the heist drama Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007), starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei.

In 1978 he directed Lena Horne in her final film role, as Glinda the Good in The Wiz. Horne was his former mother-in-law: his third wife, Gail Jones Lumet Buckley, was Horne’s daughter, which meant the two had a family connection that long predated the production.

Personal life

Lumet married four times. His first wife was actress Rita Gam, from 1949 to 1955. His second marriage was to socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, from 1956 to 1963. He then married journalist Gail Jones, from 1963 to 1978, and finally Mary Gimbel, from 1980 until his death in 2011. Gail Jones Lumet Buckley, his third wife, was the daughter of singer and actress Lena Horne, making Horne his mother-in-law during that marriage.

Death

Lumet died at his home in Manhattan on April 9, 2011, at age 86, from lymphoma, a cause confirmed by his stepdaughter Leslie Gimbel. His death closed a film and television career that had begun in the late 1940s and included more than 40 feature films.

Data sources

Data updated: 2026-11-10