2. Biography
• Born in Leytonstone, London
• Youngest son of a greengrocer, William
Hitchcock
• Hitchcock described his childhood as being
very lonely and sheltered, possibly due to
his obesity
3. • Hitchcock was once punished, at aged 5, by
taking a note down to the local police
station saying “please lock him away for 10
mins as a punishment”
• This idea of being harshly treated is often
featured in his films
• Hitchcock’s father died when he was aged
14
4. • Hitchcock was brought up Roman Catholic
and went to St. Ignatius College in London
• He later left for the London County
Council School of Engineering and
Navigation
• When he left education, he became a
draftsman and advertising designer for a
cable company called Henely’s
• This is thought to have sparked his
creativity
5. The Working Hitchcock
• Hitchcock would complete his narrative
down to every detail, and “know it off by
heart”, before filming began
• Although Hitchcock didn’t do much
physical writing himself, he would guide his
writers through every single draft
• He, however, took no screen credit for any
writing of his films
6. • Hitchcock would storyboard his work to
every detail, and that would be the final
production
• He was said to have never even looked
through the viewfinder, as he didn’t need to
• He used his storyboarding as an excuse to
never change any of his films. If a studio
asked him to change something, he would
explain each shot is already in place
7. • It is supposed that Hitchcock hated his
actors, although this is probably
exaggerated
• He believed that actors should work on
their performance, rather than any story
and character work
• “the method actor is OK in the theatre
because he has a free space to move
about. But when it comes to cutting the
face and what he sees and so forth, there
must be some discipline”
8. Famous Films
• The 39 Steps (1935)
• The Lady Vanishes (1938)
• Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
• Notorious (1946)
• Strangers on a Train (1951)
9. • Dial M for Murder (1954)
• Rear Window (1954)
• Vertigo (1958)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• Psycho (1960)
• The Birds (1963)
10. Awards
• Two Golden Globes
• Eight Laurel Awards
• Five Lifetime Achievement Awards
• Five Nominations for an Academy Award as
Best Director
11. • Rebecca nominated for 11 oscars and won
Academy Award for Best Picture (1940)
• Foreign Correspondent was also nominated in
1940
• Hitchcock was given a knighthood by
Queen Elizabeth in 1980, he was appointed
‘Knight Commander of the Order of the
British Empire’
