Robert Altman

**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.

### Shorts

|style="background:#BOC4DE;"|Year|style="background:#BOC4DE;"|Film|style="background:#BOC4DE;"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1949|_Honeymoon for Harriet_|Short Industrial Film: International Harvester||||
|rowspan="2"|1951|_Modern Football_|Short Industrial Film: Official Sports Film Service|||
|_The Dirty Look_|Short Industrial Film: Gulf Oil|||||
|rowspan="3"|1952|_The Last Mile_|Short Industrial Film: Caterpillar Tractor Company|||
|_The Sound of Bells_|Short Industrial Film: Goodrich Corporation|||||
|_King Basketball_|Short Industrial Film: Official Sports Film Service|||||
|1953|_Modern Baseball_|Short Industrial Film: Official Sports Film Service||||
|rowspan="3"|1954|_The Builders_|Short Industrial Film: Wire Reinforcement Institute|||
|_Better Football_|Short Industrial Film: Official Sports Film Service|||||
|_The Perfect Crime_|Short Industrial Film: Caterpillar Tractor Company|||||
|1955|_The Magic Bond_|Short Industrial Film: Veterans of Foreign Wars||||
|rowspan="2"|1965|_The Katherine Reed Story_|Short Documentary|||
|_Pot au feu_|Short|||||
|rowspan="4"|1966|_Girl Talk_|ColorSonics Short|||
|_The Party_|ColorSonics Short|||||
|_Speak Low_|ColorSonics Short|||||
|_Ebb Tide_|ColorSonics Short|||||

### Motion pictures

|style="background:#BOC4DE;"|Year|style="background:#BOC4DE;"|Film|style="background:#BOC4DE;"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="2"|1957|_The Delinquents_||||
|_The James Dean Story_|Documentary co-dir: George W. George|||||
|1968|_Countdown_|||||
|1969|_That Cold Day in the Park_|||||
|rowspan="2"|1970|_MASH_|Palme d'Or Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director Nominated – Academy Award for Directing Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Direction Nominated – Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Director|||
|_Brewster McCloud_||||||
|1971|_McCabe & Mrs. Miller_|Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay||||
|1972|_Images_|Nominated – Palme d'Or Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay||||
|1973|_The Long Goodbye_|||||
|rowspan="2"|1974|_Thieves Like Us_|Nominated – Palme d'Or|||
|_California Split_||||||
|1975|_Nashville_|Bodil Award for Best Non-European Film Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director National Board of Review Award for Best Director National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director Nominated – Academy Award for Directing Nominated – César Award for Best Foreign Film Nominated – Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Director||||
|1976|_Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson_|Golden Bear at Berlin||||
|1977|_3 Women_|Nominated – Palme d'Or||||
|1978|_A Wedding_|Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Direction Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated – César Award for Best Foreign Film Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay||||
|rowspan="2"|1979|_Quintet_||||
|_A Perfect Couple_||||||
|rowspan="2"|1980|_HealtH_||||
|_Popeye_||||||
|1982|_Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean_|||||
|1983|_Streamers_|DVD released in 2010 by Shout! Factory||||
|rowspan="2"|1984|_Secret Honor_||||
|_O.C. & Stiggs_|Released in 1987|||||
|1985|_Fool for Love_|Troia International Film Festival Golden Dolphin Nominated – Palme d'Or||||
|rowspan="2"|1987|_Beyond Therapy_||||
|_Aria_|Segment: _Les Boréades_ Nominated – Palme d'Or|||||
|1990|_Vincent & Theo_|||||
|1992|_The Player_|BAFTA Award for Best Direction Bodil Award for Best Non-European Film Prix de la mise en scène Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Award for Best Foreign Director London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Director Nominated – Academy Award for Directing Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Film Nominated – Palme d'Or Nominated – César Award for Best Foreign Film Nominated – Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Director||||
|1993|_Short Cuts_|Independent Spirit Award for Best Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay Bodil Award for Best American Film Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Award for Best Foreign Director Golden Lion Nominated – Academy Award for Directing Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated – César Award for Best Foreign Film||||
|1994|_Prêt-à-Porter_|Also released as _Ready to Wear_||||
|1996|_Kansas City_|Nominated – Palme d'Or||||
|1998|_The Gingerbread Man_|||||
|1999|_Cookie's Fortune_|Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Film||||
|2000|_Dr. T & the Women_|Nominated – Golden Lion||||
|2001|_Gosford Park_|American Film Institute Director of the Year BAFTA Award for Best British Film Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Film Golden Globe Award for Best Director Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Award for Best Foreign Director Director New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director Robert Award for Best American Film of the Year Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Direction Nominated – Academy Award for Directing Nominated – Bodil Award for Best American Film Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Film Nominated – César Award for Best European Union Film Nominated – Goya Award for Best European Film||||
|2003|_The Company_|||||
|2006|_A Prairie Home Companion_|Also released as _The Last Show_ Hochi Film Award for Best International Film Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Director Nominated – Bodil Award for Best American Film||||

#### 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)

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Robert Altman
- **image**: Robert Altman Cannes.jpg
- **caption**: Altman at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival
- **birth name**: Robert Bernard Altman
- **birth place**: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
- **death place**: Los Angeles, California, United States
- **years active**: 1947–2006
- **spouse**: LaVonne Elmer (1946–1951)
Lotus Corelli (1954–1957)
Kathryn Reed (1959–2006)