Stanley Earl Kramer

 Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913 – February 19, 2001)

As an independent producer and director, he brought attention to topical social issues that most studios avoided. Among the subjects covered in his films were racism (in The Defiant Ones and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), nuclear war (in On the Beach), greed (in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), creationism vs. evolution (in Inherit the Wind) and the causes and effects of fascism (in Judgment at Nuremberg). His other notable films included High Noon (1952, as producer), The Caine Mutiny (1954, as producer), and Ship of Fools (1965). Director Steven Spielberg described him as an "incredibly talented visionary", and "one of our great filmmakers, not just for the art and passion he put on screen, but for the impact he has made on the conscience of the world." Despite uneven critical reception, both then and now, Kramer's collected body of films receives many awards, including 16 Academy Awards and 80 nominations, and he was nominated nine times as either producer or director. In the 1980's, Kramer retired to Bellevue, Washington and wrote a column on movies for the Seattle Times from 1980-1996. During this time, he hosted his own weekly movie show on then-independent television station KCPQ. In 1997, Kramer published his autobiography, A Mad Mad Mad Mad World: A Life in Hollywood. He died on February 19, 2001 in Los Angeles, age 87, after contracting pneumonia.