Clint Eastwood's movie White Hunter Black Heart (1990) is about the making of Huston's movie The African Queen (1951). The movie is based upon a screenplay by Peter Viertel, Huston's assistant during the making of The African Queen (1951). The character Eastwood plays is based upon Huston.
Mike Nichols, in the director's commentary on the Catch-22 (1970) DVD, recalled that one day he was shooting street scenes at Rome's Studi di Cinecittà when he saw Huston at a pay phone. Huston was at Cinecittà helming The Kremlin Letter (1970), considered by many to be the nadir of his directorial career. Nichols says that Huston was on the phone placing bets with his bookie back in the US while the red light of the soundstage in which "Kremlin" was being shot was on. This meant that Huston's movie was being shot, but that it was not being directed by him. Such is the strange way by which movies were made, Nichols explains cryptically.
Accidentally struck and killed a Hollywood dancer, Tosca Roulien, while driving on Sunset Boulevard on September 25, 1933. Walter Huston appealed to MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer to use his influence with the LAPD regarding any questions of alcohol being involved. A subsequent inquest absolved Huston of any blame for the accident.
After he and wife Ricki separated, she became pregnant by another man. When she died, Huston brought her daughter, Allegra Huston, to live with him and adopted her.
Although Huston was often described as being 6' 4" tall, his actual measured height at his peak was 6' 2".
Although not diagnosed with emphysema until 1978, it is widely believed he was already developing the lung disease while directing The Misfits (1961), following decades of heavy smoking.
Appeared with daughter Anjelica Huston in A Walk with Love and Death (1969).
Appears in The Return of the King (1980) (TV), which was remade as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) with Sean Astin. Astin's father John Astin appeared in "The Addams Family" (1964) television series, playing Gomez Addams. The Addams Family films starred Anjelica Huston as Gomez' wife Morticia.
At one time he kept a pet monkey. His wife of the time, Evelyn Keyes, became fed up with the noise and the mess and told Huston that either she or the monkey would have to leave. "Honey," replied Huston, "it's you!"
Became an Honorary Doctor of Literature at the Trinity University in Dublin, Ireland in 1964.
Became an Irish citizen in 1964.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 446-448. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945." Pages 484-493. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.
Born in Nevada, Missouri but was raised in Weatherford, Texas until his family moved to Los Angeles.
Daughter Anjelica Huston was born while he was shooting The African Queen (1951) in Africa. He received the news of her birth by telegram.
Directed 15 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Sydney Greenstreet, Walter Huston, Claire Trevor, Sam Jaffe, Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, José Ferrer, Colette Marchand, Deborah Kerr, Grayson Hall, Susan Tyrrell, Albert Finney, Anjelica Huston, Jack Nicholson and William Hickey. Bogart and Trevor won Oscars for their performances, as did Huston's father Walter Huston and daughter Anjelica Huston
Father of Tony Huston and Anjelica Huston, from his marriage to Ricki Soma.
Father of Danny Huston, from his relationship with Zoe Sallis.
Father-in-law of Pat Delaney.
Former father-in-law of Virginia Madsen.