Trivia

Discovered actress Natalie Wood

Graduate of Harvard

He died suddenly in 1954, only a week after completing his last film as a director, Day of Triumph (1954).

A close friend of playwright George S. Kaufman, Pichel also convinced veteran character actor Charles Lane to give acting a try. Together they went to Los Angeles and studied at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Directed two actors to Oscar nominations: Monty Woolley (Best Actor, The Pied Piper (1942)) and J. Carrol Naish (Best Supporting Actor, A Medal for Benny (1945)).

Played Fagin in Monogram Pictures' low-budget version of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1933). His reviews were mixed.

Ethnic character villain in early pre-Code talkies who later moved into full-time directing for Twentieth Century-Fox. Pichel (last name pronounced "Pitch-ell" like "Mitchell") directed the sci-fi film Destination... Lune! (1950), which won a "Best Crime or Adventure" award at the Berlin Film Festival and a special effects Oscar.

He openly supported Joseph Stalin, despite the Soviet dictator's anti-Semitic policies.

Served for many years on the advisory board of the Theatre Guild of New York.

He was blacklisted in 1947. After his death it was confirmed he had been a member of the Communist Party.

Father: Julius Pichel; Mother: Rachel Stadtfeld.

At the time of his demise, Pichel resided at 5317 Marter Lane, La Canada.