Christopher Samuelsen

**Christopher Neil Thorvald Samuelsen** (born April 12, 1927) is an American film director and screenwriter. Samuelsen rose to fame after directing the drama film *A Night at the Mont-Blanc* (1957), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director.

Samuelsen was an acclaimed Hollywood director from the 1950s to 1970s, directing the films *The Grouch* (1960), *Naomi* (1963), *Jackson by the Sea* (1965), *Fourteen Nights* (1966), and *The Man Who Lost His Eye* (1973), winning the Academy Award for Best Director again for the latter. His career continued into the 1980s, where he became known for writing and directing abstract neo-noir thrillers such as *Clocktowers* (1983), *Red Lips* (1985), and *Smooth Velvet* (1989).

Samuelsen's later work has consisted of the four-part CBS miniseries *Taken* (1995), drama film *Our World* (2003), and the human trafficking documentary *In Plain Sight* (2009). He is the father of U.S. Senator Devin Samuelsen, and has been married to actress Josie Loveless since 1964. In 2000, Samuelsen created the non-profit The Samuelsen-Loveless Foundation with his wife, with which he fundraises for charitable causes.

## Early life and education

Samuelsen was born on April 12, 1927 in Duluth, Minnesota to parents Bjørn and Heidi Samuelsen. His father immigrated to Minnesota from Tønsberg, Norway in 1923, while his mother was born in Minnesota to a Swedish-American family. Bjørn worked as a commercial fisherman, while Heidi was a fourth grade teacher. Samuelsen was raised in the Lutheran faith; he grew up speaking both Norwegian and Swedish in addition to English, although he has a higher degree of fluency in Swedish than Norwegian. Samuelsen is the eldest of three children; his younger siblings include Victoria, born  (1930-07-19) July 19, 1930 (age 93), and Dorothy (1932–1998).

Samuelsen attended public schooling in Duluth. He began his education in 1933, attending a local elementary school. Samuelsen began high school in 1941 at Duluth Central High School. While in high school, Samuelsen was an honors student who was an active member of the arts department; he acted in numerous musicals and dramas at his high school, and was also a district-wide awarded visual artist and writer. He graduated from high school in 1945, and afterwards moved to Los Angeles, California to attend the USC School of Cinema-Television (now the USC School of Cinematic Arts) at the University of Southern California. He graduated with a degree in scriptwriting in 1949.

## Personal life

In 1951, Samuelsen was drafted by the United States Military for the Korean War. He ultimately did not serve, after he was deemed unfit for service after failing a physical due to his flat feet. He has been outspoken in his opposition to conscription, which he believes to be a civil rights abuse. He has donated to the political campaigns of many Democratic politicians, including his son's.

Samuelsen began a relationship with actress Josie Loveless after meeting on the set of *Naomi* in 1961; Samuelsen was directing the film, while Loveless was starring in it. They later became engaged in 1963, and married the year afterwards. Samuelsen and Loveless have two children together: Devin, born  (1967-09-30) September 30, 1967 (age 56), and Giselle, born  (1970-05-17) May 17, 1970 (age 53). Devin is politician and former lawyer, serving in the United States Senate since 2015 and previously serving as Mayor of Los Angeles, while Giselle is a socialite and former model. Samuelsen is also a grandfather to his seven grandkids.

Samuelsen and Loveless reside primarily in their nine-bedroom Beverly Hills, California home, valued at $18.4 million. They also own residences in Washington, D.C., New York City, Hawaii, Cape Cod, and Paris. Despite being raised a Lutheran, Samuelsen left the faith while a college student, and has since identified himself as agnostic.

## Filmography

*Main article: Christopher Samuelsen filmography.*

## Awards and nominations

*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Christopher Samuelsen.*