Zoltan Korda (1895–1961)

Zoltán Korda was born Zoltán Kellner to a family of assimilated Jews living near Túrkeve in what is now Hungary. He was the younger brother of Alexander Korda and the older brother of Vincent Korda. All three grew up to become filmmakers. Zoltán served as a cavalry officer in the Hungarian Army and then went to the UK to work with Alexander and his London Films production company. He was as a camera operator, film editor, and screenwriter. He had previously directed two silent film shorts and a feature-length silent film. In 1932, he made his English-language directorial debut with Men of Tomorrow. He gained wide respect for his action/adventure films, including Sanders of the River (1935), a commercial and critical success, and The Four Feathers (1939), which is considered his masterpiece. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1939 Cannes Film Festival. In 1940, Zoltán Korda joined his brother Alexander in Hollywood. Working through United Artists, he served as executive producer of The Thief of Bagdad (1940). He spent the rest of his life in southern California and made another seven more films, including the acclaimed World War II drama Sahara (1943), for which he wrote the screenplay. Poor health forced him to retire early and he died at age 66.