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Robert Altman 1925–, American film director, b. Kansas City, Mo. One of the most original talents in contemporary filmmaking, he creates complex, often loosely plotted movies marked by brilliant ensemble casting, sharply delineated characters, and an edgy spontaneity. Altman began his career writing for radio and magazines, made industrial and sports films (1946–56), and worked in television. After directing several forgettable feature films, Altman broke into public consciousness with his first success, the Korean War comedy-drama M*A*S*H (1970). Throughout the 1970s he directed numerous idiosyncratic films, including Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), Thieves Like Us (1974), and Three Women (1977).
His second major commercial success, Nashville (1975), a sprawling, multilayered drama set in the world of country music, is widely considered his masterpiece. In the 1980s he turned to theater and theatrical adaptations in Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (play and film, 1982), Streamers (1983), and Fool for Love (1985). He returned to popular and critical favor with The Player (1991), a witty skewering of the Hollywood movie scene. Altman struck directorial gold again in Gosford Park (2002), a witty, stylish, and multileveled social comedy–murder mystery set in a 1930s English country estate, which displays his ensemble technique and his keen awareness of class and sexual conflicts. Among Altman's other movies are Vincent and Theo (1990), Short Cuts (1994), and Kansas City (1996). Altman is also a screenwriter and producer.
See biography by P. McGilligan (1989); Robert Altman: A Guide to References and Resources (1984); studies by G. Plecki (1985), H. Keyssar (1991), and D. O'Brien (1995).
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