Video credit for Hollywood On Productions: Chris Brown and Brendan Kownacki
Photo & Interview credit: Janet Donovan
The 85th Academy Awards (Oscars) will be presented on Sunday, February 24th – the inspiration to reminisce with Catherine Wyler.
Catherine Wyler, daughter of legendary film director William Wyler, sat down with Hollywood on the Potomac at her home in Washington to talk about her father’s film career, what it was like growing up in the center of Hollywood royalty and about her father’s multiple nominations and wins at the Academy Awards.
“Well certainly my childhood influenced the rest of my life – no question,” said Catherine. “My father was pretty much working steadily so it very much revolved around whatever film he was making at the time that was the subject of our dinner conversation. That is to say in pre-production, we talked about that a lot, working with writers. That was always interesting to me.
My mother (Margaret “Talli”) had a really interesting position: Everyone soon knew that if they had a script they were interested in getting to him, it had to get past her.
Both my parents were always good at having fun, so there was a period when they had a nice vacation. Sometimes they took us along and sometimes they parked us with our grandparents.”
Among his many awards, William Wyler went on to win three Academy Awards for Best Director including one for Ben Hur, the Oscar that resides in Catherine’s home shown here with Brendan Kownacki.
Catherine has had her own successful career as a producer, claiming Memphis Belle and Witness to Hope: The Life of Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II among them.
Studio poster
She is currently working on I’M YOUR MAN, a feature film starring Viola Davis and directed by Lynn Hamrick set in New Orleans and also on a documentary about her father co-produced by the talented writer – director Alexander Payne and Mike Arick.
As for her Oscar pick this year for Best Picture? She is leaning toward Amour, also nominated for Best Foreign Film.
One on One with Catherine Wyler:
