John Huston
The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, Chinatown Director
The Adventurer Lion
John Huston lived like a Leo — he boxed professionally, fought in the Mexican cavalry, hunted big game in Africa, lived in a castle in Ireland, directed for six decades, acted when he felt like it, and made some of American cinema’s most enduring films. He directed his father Walter to an Oscar. He directed his daughter Anjelica to an Oscar. He received an Oscar himself. The complete Leo patriarch.
Leo Legacy
- The Maltese Falcon: 1941 debut as director — reinvented the crime film
- The African Queen: 1952 — Best Actor Oscar for Humphrey Bogart
- Chinatown: Played Noah Cross — the most chilling patriarch in 1970s cinema
- Father-daughter Oscars: Directed both Walter and Anjelica Huston to Oscar wins — unique in film history
Huston’s Leo excess was generative — a life large enough to produce an enormous body of art.
“I don’t try to guess what a million people will like. I try to please myself.”