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From: "Jean Rice" <>
Subject: [IGW] John FORD (1895-1973) - Film Director - (Full of Blarney???)
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2003 23:25:41 -0800

BIO: John Martin FORD (not Sean Aloysius O'Feeney as he often claimed) was born in Cape Elizabeth, ME, to parents who had emigrated from Galway. John FORD (1895-1973) became one of the most highly regarded directors in Hollywood. He arrived in CA sometimes around 1913, just as the film industry was taking form. He slowly worked his way into the field, going from stunt man, to actor, to assistant director. By the 1930s he was a director in his own right. His first big hit was "The Informer" (1934). The story of an IRA turncoat won FORD his first of four Oscars. His next hit was "Stagecoach" (1939), a film that launched the career of a young actor he discovered - John WAYNE.

FORD later won Oscars for "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), "How Green Was My Valley" (1941), and "The Quiet Man" (1952). His last feature film was "Seven Women" (1965).

The American Film Institute awarded him its first Life Achievement Award in 1973.

-- Excerpts, "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History,"
E. T. O'Donnell

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• [IGW] John FORD (1895-1973) - Film Director - (Full of Blarney???) by "Jean Rice" <>