Presenting Ten Things You Didn't Know About Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock reigned as renowned master of understated terror on the silver screen on both sides of the Atlantic for over half of the 20^th century. He was born August 13, 1899, in London, England ¹ . Raised in a modest but strict Catholic household, the youngest of three children, Hitchcock evolved his distinctive brand of filmmaking until his death of natural causes in 1980 at the age of 81 ¹ .

"Drama is life with the dull bits left out," he was quoted as saying at the height of his success ² . Alfred Hitchcock's childhood and resulting phobias undoubtedly helped to mold the irresistible recipe for his distinctive film making and directing career. For those of us that grew up watching him on his show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, his unmistakable voice, always reserved no matter the subject matter, will forever linger in our memories. Here are ten things you probably didn't know about the legendary Master of Suspense:

1) Alfred Hitchcock had an irrational, life-long fear of the police from a very young age when his father sent him to the local precinct with a note, and the sergeant locked him up for a short period of time upon reading it ² .

2) Alfred Hitchcock went to college for engineering, but found his calling working as a title designer on silent films at an American film studio in London in 1919 ^2,3 .

3) Small children made him very uncomfortable. Alfred Hitchcock was known to be a control freak on the set of his movies. Small children can be loud, unpredictable and rambunctious-totally uncontrollable, which is probably why they were so disturbing to him. Nevertheless, he and his wife had one child, a daughter Patricia in 1928 ² .

4) He loathed eggs, finding them utterly repulsive, both inside and out ² .

5) Alfred Hitchcock made the first talking film in Britain, Blackmail, in 1929 ⁴ .

6) It is well known that Alfred Hitchcock made cameo appearances in most all of his films, but his daughter, Patricia, played roles in a few them, as well ² .

7) Though he moved to the United States, specifically Hollywood in 1939, Alfred Hitchcock did not become an American citizen until 1956 and he retained his British citizenship, as well ⁵ .

8) Alfred Hitchcock refused to learn to drive and never obtained a driver's license, probably because he was afraid of getting ticketed by the police (see # 1) ² .

9) Alfred Hitchcock was knighted by Queen Elizabeth just a few months before his death ⁶ .

10) On his deathbed in 1980, Alfred Hitchcock was still married to his first and only wife, Alma Reville, a love affair that spanned 54 years ³ .

From 1925 to 1976, Alfred Hitchcock made and directed over 50 films of the psychological thriller and suspense genres ⁵ . Who could ever forget Psycho (1960) or The Birds (1963) ⁴ ? He was a fascinating man whose films and methods will continue to influence the cinema world for years to come.

Sources:

1. "About Hitchcock: A Biography," mysterynet.com/hitchcock/bio/.

2. "Alfred Hitchcock (I) - Biography," imdb.com/name/nm0000033/bio.

3. "Alfred Hitchcock: biography," essortment.com/all/alfredhitchcock_mxu.htm.

4. "alfred hitchcock | biography (1899 - 1980)," leninimports.com/alfred_hitchcock.html.

5. "Alfred Hitchcock facts - Freebase," freebase.com/view/en/alfred_hitchcock.

6. "Alfred Hitchcock - Biography on Bio.," thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/alfred-hitchcock.html.