Robert Bernard Altman (February 20, 1925 - November 20, 2006) was an American movie director. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri and died of leukemia in Los Angeles, California. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.

His movies MASH (1970), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), and Nashville (1975) have been selected to keep in the United States National Film Registry.

Personal life
In the 1960s, Altman lived for nine years with his second wife in Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood, California. He moved to Malibu but in 1981 sold that home and the Lion's Gate production company.  "I had no choice", he told the New York Times. "Nobody was answering the phone" after the flop of Popeye. He moved his family and business headquarters to New York. Eventually he moved back to Malibu, where he lived until his death.

In November 2000, he said he would move to Paris if George W. Bush were elected. He joked that he had meant Paris, Texas when Bush became president. Altman was an outspoken marijuana user. He was a member of the NORML advisory board. He was against the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Death
Altman died on November 20, 2006, at age 81 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He died of complications from leukemia.

Altman is survived by his wife, Kathryn Reed Altman; six children, Christine Westphal, Michael Altman, Stephen Altman (his production designer of choice for many movies), Connie Corriere, Robert Reed Altman, and Matthew Altman; 12 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

The movie director Paul Thomas Anderson dedicated his 2007 movie There Will Be Blood to Altman.

Filmography

Shorts

Motion pictures

Television work

Television movies and miniseries
 Nightmare in Chicago (1964) [previously "Once Upon a Savage Night" in Kraft Suspense Theater]
 Precious Blood (1982) – Television film written by Frank South
 Rattlesnake in a Cooler (1982) – Television film written by Frank South
 Secret Honor (1984)
 The Laundromat (1985) (60 min.)
 Basements (1987) – two one-act plays by Harold Pinter: The Dumb Waiter and The Room (the former was released to video as its own feature by Prism Entertainment)
 Tanner '88 (1988) – six-hour mini-series for HBO
 The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (1988) – Television film based on the play by Herman Wouk
 Vincent & Theo (1990) – British Mini-series in 4 parts, later released in edited form worldwide as feature movie.
 McTeague (1992) – an opera for PBS
 The Real McTeague (1993) – making of "McTeague", also for PBS
 Black and Blue (1993) – an Emmy nominated filmed play which aired on PBS' "Great Performances"
 Robert Altman's Jazz '34 (1996) – PBS special about the music from Kansas City
 Tanner on Tanner (2004) – two-hour mini-series for the Sundance Channel, a follow-up to Tanner '88

Television episodes
 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957–58)
 ep. 3–9: "The Young One"  (air-date December 1, 1957)
 ep. 3–15: "Together"  (a.d. January 12, 1958)
 M Squad (1958) ep. 1–21: "Lover's Lane Killing" (a.d. February 14, 1958)
 The Millionaire aka If You Had A Million (1958–59)
 directed by Altman
 ep No. 148 / 5–14: "Pete Hopper: Afraid of the Dark" (a.d. December 10, 1958)
 ep No. 162 / 5–28: "Henry Banning: The Show Off" (a.d. April 1, 1959)
 ep No. 185 / 6–14: "Jackson Greene: The Beatnik" (a.d. December 22, 1959)
 written by Altman
 ep No. 160 / 5–26: "Alicia Osante: Beauty and the Sailor" (a.d. March 18, 1959)
 ep No. 174 / 6-3: "Lorraine Dagget: The Beach Story" [story] (a.d. September 29, 1959)
 ep No. 183 / 6–12: "Andrew C. Cooley: Andy and Clara" (a.d. December 8, 1959)
 Whirlybirds (1958–59)
 ep. No. 71 / 2–32: "The Midnight Show" (a.d. December 8, 1958)
 ep. No. 79 / 3-1: "Guilty of Old Age" (a.d. April 13, 1959)
 ep. No. 80 / 3-2: "A Matter of Trust" (a.d. April 6, 1959)
 ep. No. 81 / 3-3: "Christmas in June" (a.d. April 20, 1959)
 ep. No. 82 / 3–4: "Til Death Do Us Part" (unknown air-date, probably April 27, 1959)
 ep. No. 83 / 3–5: "Time Limit" (a.d. May 4, 1959)
 ep. No. 84 / 3–6: "Experiment X-74" (a.d. May 11, 1959)
 ep. No. 87 / 3–9: "The Challenge" (a.d. June 1, 1959)
 ep. No. 88 / 3–10: "The Big Lie" (a.d. June 8, 1959)
 ep. No. 91 / 3–13: "The Perfect Crime" (a.d. June 29, 1959)
 ep. No. 92 / 3–14: "The Unknown Soldier" (a.d. July 6, 1959)
 ep. No. 93 / 3–15: "Two of a Kind" (a.d. July 13, 1959)
 ep. No. 94 / 3–16: "In Ways Mysterious" (a.d. July 20, 1959)
 ep. No. 97 / 3–19: "The Black Maria" (a.d. August 10, 1959)
 ep. No. 98 / 3–20: "The Sitting Duck" (a.d. August 17, 1959)
 U.S. Marshal (original title: Sheriff of Cochise) (1959)
 verified
 ep. 4–17: "The Triple Cross"
 ep. 4–23: "Shortcut to Hell"
 ep. 4–25: "R.I.P." (a.d. June 6, 1959)
 uncertain; some sources cite Altman on these episodes; no known source cites anybody else
 ep. 4–18: "The Third Miracle"
 ep. 4–31: "Kill or Be Killed"
 ep. 4–32: "Backfire"
 ep. "Tapes For Murder"
 ep. "Special Delivery"
 ep. "Paper Bullets"
 ep. "Tarnished Star"
 Troubleshooters (1959) (13 episodes)
 Hawaiian Eye (1959) ep. 8: "Three Tickets to Lani" (a.d. November 25, 1959)
 Sugarfoot (1959–60)
 ep. No. 47 / 3–7: "Apollo With A Gun" (a.d. December 8, 1959)
 ep. No. 50 / 3–10: "The Highbinder" (a.d. January 19, 1960)
 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1960)
 ep. "The Sound of Murder" (a.d. January 1, 1960)
 ep. "Death of a Dream"
 The Gale Storm Show aka Oh! Susanna (1960) ep. No. 125 / 4–25: "It's Magic" (a.d. March 17, 1960)
 Bronco (1960) ep No. 41 / 3-1: "The Mustangers" (a.d. October 17, 1960)
 Maverick (1960) ep. #90: "Bolt From the Blue" (a.d. November 27, 1960)
 The Roaring '20s (1960–61)
 ep. 1–5: "The Prairie Flower" (a.d. November 12, 1960)
 ep. 1–6: "Brother's Keeper" (a.d. November 19, 1960)
 ep. 1–8: "White Carnation" (a.d. December 3, 1960)
 ep. 1–12: "Dance Marathon" (a.d. January 14, 1961)
 ep. 1–15: "Two a Day" (a.d. February 4, 1961)
 ep. 1–28&29: "Right Off the Boat" Parts 1 & 2 (a.d. May 13/20, 1961)
 ep. 1–31: "Royal Tour" (a.d. June 3, 1961)
 ep. 2–4: "Standing Room Only" (a.d. October 28, 1961)
 Bonanza (1960–61)
 ep. 2–13: "Silent Thunder" (a.d. December 10, 1960)
 ep. 2–19: "Bank Run" (a.d. January 28, 1961)
 ep. 2–25: "The Duke" (a.d. March 11, 1961)
 ep. 2–28: "The Rival" (a.d. April 15, 1961)
 ep. 2–31: "The Secret" (a.d. May 6, 1961)
 ep. 2–32 "The Dream Riders" (a.d. May 20, 1961)
 ep. 2–34: "Sam Hill" (a.d. June 3, 1961)
 ep. 3–7: "The Many Faces of Gideon Finch" (a.d. November 5, 1961)
 Lawman (1961) ep. No. 92 / 3–16: "The Robbery" (a.d. January 1, 1961)
 Surfside 6 (1961) ep. 1–18: "Thieves Among Honor" (a.d. Jan 30, 1961)
 Peter Gunn (1958) ep. 3–28: "The Murder Bond" (a.d. April 24, 1961)
 Bus Stop (1961–62)
 ep. 4: "The Covering Darkness" (a.d. October 22, 1961)
 ep. 5: "Portrait of a Hero" (a.d. October 29, 1961)
 ep. 8: "Accessory By Consent" (a.d. November 19, 1961)
 ep. 10: "A Lion Walks Among Us" (a.d. December 3, 1961)
 ep. 12: "... And the Pursuit of Evil" (a.d. December 17, 1961)
 ep. 15: "Summer Lightning" (a.d. January 7, 1962)
 ep. 23: "Door Without a Key" (a.d. March 4, 1962)
 ep. 25: "County General" [possibly failed pilot] (a.d. March 18, 1962)
 Route 66 (1961)
 ep. #40/2-10: "Some of the People, Some of the Time' (a.d. December 1, 61)
 ep. 3–17: "A Gift For A Warrior" (a.d. January 18, 1963) – often incorrectly cited, Altman did not direct this
 The Gallant Men (1962) pilot: "Battle Zone" (a.d. October 5, 1962)
 Combat! (1962–63)
 ep. 1-1: "Forgotten Front" (a.d. October 2, 1962)
 ep. 1–2: "Rear Echelon Commandos" (a.d. October 9, 1962)
 ep. 1–4: "Any Second Now" (a.d. October 23, 1962)
 ep. 1–7: "Escape to Nowhere" (a.d. December 20, 1962)
 ep. 1–9: "Cat and Mouse" (a.d. December 4, 1962)
 ep. 1–10: "I Swear By Apollo" (a.d. December 11, 1962)
 ep. 1–12: "The Prisoner" (a.d. December 25, 1962)
 ep. 1–16: "The Volunteer" (a.d. January 22, 1963)
 ep. 1–20: "Off Limits" (a.d. February 19, 1963)
 ep. 1–23: "Survival" (a.d. March 12, 1963)
 Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963)
 ep 1–8: "The Long Lost Life of Edward Smalley" (also writer) (a.d. December 12, 1963)
 ep 1–9: "The Hunt" (also writer) (a.d. December 19, 1963)
 ep 1–21: "Once Upon a Savage Night"
 released as Television film Nightmare in Chicago in 1964
 The Long Hot Summer (1965) pilot
 Nightwatch (1968) pilot: "The Suitcase"
 Premiere (1968) ep. "Walk in the Sky" (a.d. July 15, 1968)
 Saturday Night Live (1977) ep. No. 39 / 2–16 "h: Sissy Spacek", seg. "Sissy's Roles" (a.d. March 12, 1977)
 Gun (aka Robert Altman's Gun) (1997) ep. 4: "All the President's Women" (a.d. May 10, 1997)
 this episode, along with another, was released on DVD as Gun: Fatal Betrayal; subsequently, the entire six-episode series was released

Awards and nominations
Academy Awards:
 1971: Best Director (MASH, nominated)
 1976: Best Picture (Nashville, nominated)
 1976: Best Director (Nashville, nominated)
 1993: Best Director (The Player, nominated)
 1994: Best Director (Short Cuts, nominated)
 2002: Best Picture (Gosford Park, nominated)
 2002: Best Director (Gosford Park, nominated)
 2006: Honorary Oscar (won)BAFTA Awards:
 1971: Best Direction (MASH, nominated)
 1979: Best Direction (A Wedding, nominated)
 1979: Best Screenplay (A Wedding, nominated)
 1993: Best Film (The Player, nominated)
 1993: Best Direction (The Player, won)
 2002: Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (Gosford Park, won)
 2002: David Lean Award for Direction (Gosford Park, nominated)

Berlin International Film Festival:
 1976: Golden Berlin Bear (Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson, won)
 1985: FIPRESCI Prize – Forum of New Cinema (Secret Honor, won)
 1999: Golden Berlin Bear (Cookie's Fortune, nominated)
 1999: Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas (Cookie's Fortune, won)
 2002: Honorary Golden Berlin Bear (won)
 2006: Golden Berlin Bear (A Prairie Home Companion, nominated)
 2006: Reader Jury of the "Berliner Morgenpost" (A Prairie Home Companion, won)Cannes Film Festival:
 1970: Golden Palm (MASH, won)
 1972: Golden Palm (Images, nominated)
 1977: Golden Palm (3 Women, nominated)
 1986: Golden Palm (Fool for Love, nominated)
 1987: Golden Palm (Aria, nominated)
 1992: Golden Palm (The Player, nominated)
 1992: Best Director (The Player, won)
 1996: Golden Palm (Kansas City, nominated)

Directors Guild of America Awards:
 1971: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (MASH, nominated)
 1976: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (Nashville, nominated)
 1993: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (The Player, nominated)
 1994: Lifetime Achievement Award (won)
 2005: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television (Tanner on Tanner, nominated)Emmy Awards:
 1989: Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (Tanner '88, won)
 1993: Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program (Great Performances – Black and Blue, nominated)

Golden Globe Awards:
 1971: Best Director (MASH, nominated)
 1976: Best Director (Nashville, nominated)
 1993: Best Director (The Player, nominated)
 1994: Best Screenplay (Short Cuts, nominated)
 2002: Best Director (Gosford Park, won)Independent Spirit Awards:
 1994: Best Director (Short Cuts, won)
 1994: Best Screenplay (Short Cuts, won)
 1995: Best Feature (Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, nominated)
 2000: Best Feature (Cookie's Fortune, nominated)
 2007: Best Director (A Prairie Home Companion, nominated)

Venice Film Festival:
 1993: Golden Lion (Short Cuts, won)
 1996: Career Golden Lion (won')
 2000: Golden Lion (Dr T and the Women'', nominated)

References

Other websites 
 

Actors from Kansas City, Missouri
American movie actors
American television directors
American television producers
American television writers
BAFTA Award winning directors
Cancer deaths in Los Angeles
Deaths from leukemia
Emmy Award winning directors
Golden Globe Award winning directors
Movie directors from Missouri
Movie producers from Missouri
Screenwriters from Missouri
1925 births
2006 deaths