Stanley Kubrick born in New York on July 26, 1928 became a chess master and a photographer at a very young age. He used chess motifs in his film work and as a way to combat stress. He worked for Look Magazine as a photographer but eventually used all his savings to make Day of the Fight in1951. He was commissioned to make other documentaries: Flying Padre: An RKO-Pathe Screenliner in 1951 and The Seafarers in 1953. He invited investors and won chess matches to get enough money to make Fear and Desire in California in 1953. Kubrick's Killer's Kiss in 1955 and the Killing in 1956 brought him Hollywood's attention and in 1957 he directed Paths of Glory with Kirk Douglas. Kubrick directed Spartacus in1960 which won the Academy Award for cinematography.
He directed Marlon Brando in One-Eyed Jacks in 1961 but left the directing up to Brando. Hating Hollywood and all it stood for Kubrick moved to England. His UK films include Lolita in 1962 and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in1964. His next film was with sci-fi author Arthur C. Clark and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). This film was one of the best sci-fi films made and became a cult favorite. A Clockwork Orange in 1971 and Barry Lyndon in1975 were masterful films. He directed The Shining in 1980. Seven years later Kubrick filmed Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Platoon in 1986.
Kubrick worked with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut (1999) which Kubrick claimed was his best film. He began work on A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001 but suffered a fatal heart attack before it was ever finished (Stephen Spielberg finish the film).
Kubrick was married to Toba Kubrick form 1948 until 1951, Ruth Sobotka from 1955 to 1957 and Christiane Kubrick from1958 until his death on May 7, 1999. He had two children.
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