Phil Karlson
🎂 Jul 2, 1908 — 🕯️ Dec 12, 1985 (77 years)
Chicago, Illinois
Working since the 1940s, Phil Karlson is a director from Chicago, Illinois. They appear in the film Kansas City Confidential.
77R.I.P.
48Directed
2Series
77 R.I.P.
R.I.P.
48
Directed
2
TV Directed
Movies
Walking Tall
1973
Tight Spot
1955
The Silencers
1966
The Wrecking Crew
1968
Ben
1972
Gunman's Walk
1958
Kansas City Confidential
1952
Hornets' Nest
1970
Ladies of the Chorus
1948
A Time for Killing
1967
The Phenix City Story
1955
99 River Street
1953
Black Gold
1947
Scandal Sheet
1952
Framed
1975
The Brothers Rico
1957
Hell to Eternity
1960
The Brigand
1952
Lorna Doone
1951
Key Witness
1960
The Scarface Mob
1959
The Texas Rangers
1951
The Secret Ways
1961
5 Against the House
1955
The Shanghai Cobra
1945
The Big Cat
1949
Hell's Island
1955
Dark Alibi
1946
They Rode West
1954
Live Wires
1946
Rampage
1963
The Iroquois Trail
1950
The Young Doctors
1961
Mask of the Avenger
1951
A Wave, a WAC and a Marine
1944
Behind the Mask
1946
Kilroy Was Here
1947
The Missing Lady
1946
Bowery Bombshell
1946
Swing Parade of 1946
1946
Full Filmography
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phil Karlson still alive?
Phil Karlson passed away on December 12, 1985 at age 77.
What are the most famous roles of Phil Karlson?
Phil Karlson is best known for directing Kansas City Confidential, Walking Tall, Ben.
How many movies has Phil Karlson directed?
Over a 41-year career (since 1944), Phil Karlson has directed or written 51 films and worked on 2 TV shows.
What was Phil Karlson's first movie?
The career of Phil Karlson began with A Wave, a WAC and a Marine (1944).
What is Phil Karlson's most recent movie or series?
Phil Karlson's most recent release is Framed, which premiered on August 1, 1975.
What TV shows has Phil Karlson created or directed?
On television, Phil Karlson has appeared in Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse.
Phil Karlson
1908-07-02 · Chicago, Illinois
Phil Karlson (July 2, 1908, Chicago, Illinois – December 12, 1985, Los Angeles, California) was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street, Kansas City Confidential and Hell's Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s. Other films include Rocky (1948), The Phenix City Story (1955), 5 Against the House (1955) and The Young Doctors (1961).
Phil Karlson was the son of popular Irish actress Lillian O'Brien.
He studied painting at Chicago's Art Institute, and law, at his father's request, at Loyola Marymount University in California.
Karlson got into the film industry working as a prop man while a law student. After working a number of film jobs, including being an assistant director for a number of Abbott and Costello films, Karlson directed his first film in 1944 and in 1948 directed the first film starring Marilyn Monroe, Ladies of the Chorus. He worked on a number of low-budget projects for Monogram Pictures and Eagle-Lion Films before making his mark in 1950. It was then that he was known for directing tough, realistic and sometimes violent gritty crime films. In the 1960s the quality of his directed films declined, which included working on Kid Galahad (1962) with Elvis Presley and two Dean Martin Matt Helm spy films, including The Wrecking Crew (1969) co-starring Sharon Tate and Elke Sommer. He had his biggest success in 1973 when he directed the hit film, Walking Tall. The film made the director a rich man many times over, thanks to the fact that he owned a huge part of the movie.Phil Karlson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.