
John Huston
Known for Directing · 118 credits
- Born
- 1906-08-05
- Died
- 1987-08-28
- Place of birth
- Nevada, Missouri, USA
- Also known as
- John Marcellus Huston · Τζον Χιούστον · 존 휴스턴 · Джон Хʼюстон
Biography
John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), The Misfits (1961), Fat City (1972), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Prizzi's Honor (1985).
In his early years, Huston studied and worked as a fine art painter in Paris. He explored the visual aspects of his films throughout his career, sketching each scene on paper beforehand, then carefully framing his characters during the shooting. While most directors rely on post-production editing to shape their final work, Huston instead created his films while they were being shot, with little editing needed. Some of Huston's films were adaptations of important novels, often depicting an "heroic quest," as in Moby Dick, or The Red Badge of Courage. In many films, different groups of people, while struggling toward a common goal, would become doomed, forming "destructive alliances," giving the films a dramatic and visual tension. Many of his films involved themes such as religion, meaning, truth, freedom, psychology, colonialism, and war.
Huston has been referred to as "a titan", "a rebel", and a "renaissance man" in the Hollywood film industry. Author Ian Freer describes him as "cinema's Ernest Hemingway"—a filmmaker who was "never afraid to tackle tough issues head on." During his 46-year career, Huston received 15 Oscar nominations, winning twice. He directed both his father, Walter Huston, and daughter, Anjelica Huston, to Oscar wins.
Description above from the Wikipedia article John Huston, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
TV Shows (13)

The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self

The Dick Cavett Show
1968
as Self - Guest

Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self / Self (archive footage)

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self

The Oscars
1953
as Self
Film '72
1971
as Self / Self (archive footage)
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957
as Self

The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self

National Geographic Specials
1965
as Narrator (voice)

Five Came Back
2017
as Self (archive footage)

The Word
1978
as Nathan Randall

The Rhinemann Exchange
1977
as Ambassador Henderson Granville
Appointment With Destiny
1971
as Narrator
Movies (105)

Chinatown
1974
as Noah Cross

Candy
1968
as Dr. Arnold Dunlap

Casino Royale
1967
as M / General MacTarry

The Black Cauldron
1985
as Narrator (voice)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948
as American in Tampico in White Suit (uncredited)

Annie
1982
as Actor on Radio (uncredited)

Moby Dick
1956
as Barman / Ship's Lookout (voice) (uncredited)

Battle for the Planet of the Apes
1973
as The Lawgiver

The Bible: In the Beginning...
1966
as Noah

Buñuel
1984
as Self

Momo
1986
as Meister Hora

The Misfits
1961
as Extra in Blackjack Scene (uncredited)

The Hobbit
1977
as Gandalf the Grey (voice)

The Wind and the Lion
1975
as John Hay

The Myth of Marilyn Monroe
2023
as Self (voice)

The Bermuda Triangle
1978
as Edward

Breakout
1975
as Harris Wagner

Myra Breckinridge
1970
as Buck Loner

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1972
as Grizzly Adams

The Cardinal
1963
as Kardinal Glennon

Winter Kills
1979
as Pa Kegan

We Were Strangers
1949
as Señor Muñoz

Directed by William Wyler
1986
as Self
An Oral History of: The Name of the Rose
2022
as Self (archive footage)

Freud: The Secret Passion
1962
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Tentacles
1977
as Ned Turner

Angela
1977
as Hogan

The Red Badge of Courage
1951
as Grizzled Union Veteran (uncredited)

The Return of the King
1980
as Gandalf (voice)

100 Years of Marilyn Monroe
2026
as (archive footage)
Two Americans
1929

The Other Side of the Wind
2018
as J.J. 'Jake' Hannaford

Man in the Wilderness
1971
as Captain Filmore Henry

The Biggest Battle
1978
as Sean O'Hara

Arthur Miller: Writer
2017
as Self (archive footage)

Morceaux de Cannes
2021

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2010
as Self (archive footage)

Mr. Corbett's Ghost
1987
as Soul Collector

Pelé Forever
2004
as Self (archive footage)

The Visitor
1979
as Jerzy Colsowicz

Herman Melville: Damned in Paradise
1985
as Narrator

Cannery Row
1982
as Narrator

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
2018
as Self (archive footage)

The Kremlin Letter
1970
as Admiral

A Walk with Love and Death
1969
as Robert the Elder

John Huston: Adventures of a Free Soul
2021
as Self (archive footage)

Bogart: The Untold Story
1997
as Self (archive footage)

Five Came Back
2017
as Self (archive footage)

Wise Blood
1979
as Grandfather

Lovesick
1983
as Larry Geller, M.D.

Filmmakers vs. Tycoons
2005
as Self (archive footage)

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991
as Glennon (archive footage) (uncredited)
John Huston's Dublin
1979

Epic
1985
as The Narrator (US version)

Jaguar Lives!
1979
as Ralph Richards

The Deserter
1970
as General Miles

Hell's Heroes
1929
as Church Member (uncredited)

Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast
2019
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
1995

John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
1988
as Self (archive footage)

Notes from Under the Volcano
1984
as Self

De Sade
1969
as The Abbe
The Screen Director
1951
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Orson Welles Story
1982
as Self

Intimate Portrait: Sean Connery
1998
as Self (archive footage)

The List of Adrian Messenger
1963
as Lord Ashton (uncredited)

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
2014
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

Rocky Road to Dublin
1968
as Self

Sherlock Holmes in New York
1976
as Professor James Moriarty

Agee
1980
as Self

Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
2012
as Self (archive footage)

The Battle of San Pietro
1945
as Narrator

Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen
2010
as Self (archive footage)

Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
2001
as Self

Babenco: Tell Me When I Die
2020
as Self (archive footage)

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
1985
as Self

Making 'The Misfits'
2002
as Self - Director (archive footage)

Ava Gardner: Life Is Bigger Than the Movies
2017
as Self (archive footage)

Circasia
1976
as Ringmaster

Report from the Aleutians
1943
as Narrator (voice)
To The Western World
1984

The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
1966
as Narrator

Lights! Camera! Annie! The Making of a Major Hollywood Musical
1982
as Self

Discovering Treasure: The Story of 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'
2003
as Self (archive footage)

B.Traven: A Mystery Solved
1978
as Self

Welles' Language
1990
as Self

Hollywood on Trial
1976
as Narrator

The Making of Rocky Road to Dublin
2004
as Self (Archive Footage)
Ride This Way Grey Horse
1970
as Director

On the Trail of the Iguana
1964
as Self

Happy Birthday, Marilyn!
1980
as Self

The Bridge in the Jungle
1971
as Sleigh

Errol Flynn: Portrait of a Swashbuckler
1983
as Self

A Minor Miracle
1983
as Father Cardenas

Anjelica Huston on James Joyce: A Shout in the Street
2017
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

American Caesar
1983
as Self - Host

Bogart: Here's Looking at You, Kid
1997
as Self (archive footage)

Marilyn at the Movies
2011
as Self (archive footage)
Head On
1980
as Clarke Hill

City Lights: John Huston
1979
as Self

Observations Under the Volcano
1984
as Self

Federico Fellini's Autobiography
2000
as Self (archive footage)

MCAINE: An Anagram of Cinema
2023
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

The Unfinished Journey of Robert Kennedy
1970
as Narrator

Creativity with Bill Moyers: John Huston
1982
as Self - Interviewee
About John Huston
John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), The Misfits (1961), Fat City (1972), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Prizzi's Honor (1985). In his early years, Huston studied and worked as a fine art painter in Paris. He explor… With 118 credits spanning from 1929 to 2026, John Huston has appeared in 105 films and 13 TV shows.
Fans searching for John Huston movies, John Huston filmography, or the latest projects starring John Huston can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular John Huston Movies
- Chinatown (1974) — as Noah Cross
- Candy (1968) — as Dr. Arnold Dunlap
- Casino Royale (1967) — as M / General MacTarry
- The Black Cauldron (1985) — as Narrator (voice)
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) — as American in Tampico in White Suit (uncredited)
Where to Watch John Huston Films
Most John Huston movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring John Huston, check our movies catalogue and browse page.