Vincente Minnelli ( ; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovation and… Vincente Minnelli ( ; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovation and artistry in musical films. As of 2026, six of his films have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Born in Chicago to theatrical parents, Minnelli made his stage debut at age three in his family's theater. He began his theatrical career as a costume designer for the Balaban and Katz theaters. In 1932, the Paramount-Publix theater chain acquired Balaban and Katz and Minnelli moved to New York to work in Paramount's theaters there. He later became Radio City Music Hall's chief costume designer and then art director, and directed Broadway musicals including At Home Abroad. In 1937, Minnelli briefly worked for Paramount Pictures, but then returned to Broadway where he directed more shows including Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's last work together, Very Warm for May.
In 1940, Arthur Freed brought Minnelli to Hollywood to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), where he directed sequences in Babes on Broadway (1941) and Panama Hattie (1942). He made his directorial film debut with Cabin in the Sky (1943). A year later, Minnelli directed Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) starring Judy Garland. He married Garland a year later, and their daughter Liza was born in 1946. He subsequently directed Garland in The Clock (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1945) and The Pirate (1948). They divorced in 1951.
In the 1950s, Minnelli directed numerous comedies, dramas and musicals, including Father of the Bride (1950), An American in Paris (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Lust for Life (1956) and Gigi (1958). An American in Paris and Gigi both won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Minnelli won Best Director for Gigi.
In the early 1960s, failed film projects soured Minnelli's relationship with MGM. He formed his own production company which partnered with MGM and other studios, and then left MGM in 1966. His last films were On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and A Matter of Time (1976), starring his daughter Liza.
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