Fred Zinnemann and Meryl Streep. He directed 19 actors to Oscar nominations, including Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Audrey Hepburn, Glynis Johns, Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Wendy Hiller, Jason Robards, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, Gary Cooper and Maximilian Schell. Zinnemann was born in Rzeszów, the son of Anna (Feiwel) and Oskar Zinnemann, a doctor. His parents were Austrian-Jews. He had one younger brother. While growing up in Austria, he wanted to become a musician, but went on to graduate with a law degree from the University of Vienna in 1927. While studying law, he became drawn to films and convinced his parents to
Fred Zinnemann with the moral dilemmas of his characters. His philosophy about directing influenced director Alan Parker: In "From Here to Eternity", for example, he effectively added actual newsreel footage of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which enhanced and dramatized the story. Similarly, in "A Hatful of Rain", he used a documentary style to present real life drug addiction in New York. Zinnemann again incorporated newsreel footage in "Behold a Pale Horse", about the Spanish Civil War. "The Day of the Jackal", a political thriller about an attempt to assassinate Charles de Gaulle, was shot on location in newsreel style, while