FILM DIRECTOR

Nicholas Ray

1911 - 1979

Photo of Nicholas Ray

Icon of person Nicholas Ray

Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Described by the Harvard Film Archive as "Hollywood's last romantic" and "one of postwar American cinema’s supremely gifted and ultimately tragic filmmakers," Ray was considered an iconoclastic auteur director who often clashed with the Hollywood studio system of the time, but would prove highly influential to future generations of filmmakers. His best-known work is the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Nicholas Ray has received more than 1,338,654 page views. His biography is available in 40 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 36 in 2019). Nicholas Ray is the 227th most popular film director (down from 190th in 2019), the 1,515th most popular biography from United States (down from 1,216th in 2019) and the 58th most popular American Film Director.

Nicholas Ray is most famous for directing Rebel Without a Cause, a film about the American teenager.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 59.91

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 40

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.81

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.74

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among FILM DIRECTORS

Among film directors, Nicholas Ray ranks 227 out of 2,041. Before him are Robert Wiene, Nanni Moretti, Tony Richardson, Chris Marker, Mario Monicelli, and Chantal Akerman. After him are Mario Bava, Marco Ferreri, Arthur Penn, Věra Chytilová, Gus Van Sant, and Edwin S. Porter.

Most Popular Film Directors in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1911, Nicholas Ray ranks 63. Before him are Alfred Naujocks, Karel Čurda, Qian Xuesen, Bernard Herrmann, Lee Yoo-hyung, and Akira Yoshizawa. After him are Dieter Wisliceny, Stanisława Walasiewicz, Lina Heydrich, Karl Silberbauer, Alfonso García Robles, and Feodor Lynen. Among people deceased in 1979, Nicholas Ray ranks 48. Before him are Mamie Eisenhower, Abul A'la Maududi, Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth, Ali Hassan Salameh, Rudi Dutschke, and Charles Mingus. After him are Conrad Hilton, Feodor Lynen, Louis Chiron, Heinz Reinefarth, Alfredo Ottaviani, and Nicos Poulantzas.

Others Born in 1911

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Others Deceased in 1979

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Nicholas Ray ranks 1,515 out of 20,380. Before him are Charles Mingus (1922), Jake Gyllenhaal (1980), Elias James Corey (1928), James Brolin (1940), Phil Jackson (1945), and Henry Norris Russell (1877). After him are Debbie Harry (1945), Phil Knight (1938), Creighton Abrams (1914), Paul Lauterbur (1929), James Brendan Connolly (1868), and Viola Davis (1965).

Others born in United States

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Among FILM DIRECTORS In United States

Among film directors born in United States, Nicholas Ray ranks 58. Before him are Richard Donner (1930), John G. Avildsen (1935), Vincente Minnelli (1903), Alan J. Pakula (1928), Robert Wise (1914), and Barry Levinson (1942). After him are Arthur Penn (1922), Gus Van Sant (1952), Edwin S. Porter (1870), Michael Moore (1954), James Ivory (1928), and John Sturges (1910).

American born Film Directors

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Filmography

1408
Director
A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.
Jun 22o 20076.688 / 10
Knock Off
Director
A fashion designer and his CIA agent business partner must join forces to stop a group of terrorists from smuggling explosives in counterfeit jeans during the handover of Hong Kong.
Sep 4o 19985.318 / 10
Salvage
Director
When a container washes ashore the residents of a sleepy cul-de-sac are plunged into violence, terror and paranoia. Ring fenced by the military a single mother must overcome all the odds to save her daughter.
Jun 21o 20095.012 / 10