Sidney J. Furie, a Toronto-born filmmaker, has enjoyed a distinguished career spanning over five decades. He has directed films featuring an impressive array of actors, including Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Robert Redford, Diana Ross, Michael Caine, Peter O'Toole, Rodney Dangerfield, Barbara Hershey, Gene Hackman, Donald Sutherland, and many more.
Furie began his career by directing the first two feature-length fiction films ever made in English Canada, "A Dangerous Age" (1957) and "A Cool Sound from Hell" (1959),both independently financed. He then emigrated to London in 1960 and directed five feature films in a single year before achieving his first box-office success with "Wonderful to Be Young!" (1961),starring Cliff Richard.
Furie's critically acclaimed 1963 British New Wave film "The Leather Boys" (1964) earned him recognition from high-powered producer Harry Saltzman, who hired him to direct the groundbreaking film "The Ipcress File" (1965). The film won the BAFTA award for Best Picture and launched Michael Caine's career.
Furie then moved to Hollywood, where he directed Marlon Brando in "The Appaloosa" (1966) and Frank Sinatra in "The Naked Runner" (1967). He went on to work for Paramount Pictures for eight years, directing five films, including the box-office hit "Lady Sings the Blues" (1972),which was nominated for five Academy Awards.
In the 1980s, Furie directed the cult classic "The Entity" (1982),which was named by Martin Scorsese as the fourth best horror film ever made. He was also assigned to direct "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" (1987),but was challenged by substantial last-minute budget cuts and a script he could not change.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Furie returned to his native Canada to helm a series of films, often direct-to-video pictures, including the war drama "Going Back" (2001) and the Canadian-British co-production "Rock My World" (2002),a comedy starring Peter O'Toole and Joan Plowright.
