Don Siegel

Donald Siegel (/ˈsiːɡəl/ SEE-gəl; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by The New York Times as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut plots centered on individualistic loners". He directed the science-fiction horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), as well as five films with Clint Eastwood, including the police thriller Dirty Harry (1971) and the prison drama Escape from Alcatraz (1979). He also directed John Wayne's final film, the Western The Shootist (1976). Siegel was born in 1912 to a Jewish family in Chicago; his father was a mandolin player. Siegel attended schools in New York and later graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge, in England. For a short time, he studied at Beaux Arts in Paris, but left at age 20 and later went to Los Angeles.