Billy Wilder

Wilder, Billy (1906– ), Austrian-born U.S. screenwriter and film director. Wilder, known for his humorous treatment of serious subject matter, often dealt with topics that had not previously been considered for entertainment purposes, including alcoholism in The Lost Weekend (Academy Award; 1945), a prisoner-of-war camp in Stalag 17 (1953), the Cold War in One, Two, Three (1961), and prostitution in Irma La Douce (1963). Other works include Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Boulevard (Academy Award; 1950), Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (Academy Award; 1960), and Fedora (1979).