Tag: George Roy Hill (1921–2002)

Hill was born to a wealthy Roman Catholic family of Irish background (owners of the Minneapolis Tribune) and educated at private school, followed by graduate studies in music at Yale under the auspices of composer Paul Hindemith. While at university, he became involved with the Yale Dramatic Society and was at one time elected its president. After his graduation, he served as a transport pilot with the U.S. Marines for the duration of the Second World War. He was recalled as a night fighter pilot for the Korean War, rising to the rank of major. Hill had a lifelong passion for flying, which often reflected in his films (he held a pilot’s license from the age of seventeen and later acquired a 1930 Waco biplane, which he took on spins in his spare time — whenever he was not indulging his other favourite pastimes of reading history or listening to recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach). In 1949, he gained his B.A. in literature from Trinity College, Dublin. Remaining in Ireland, he first acted on stage with Cyril Cusack’s company, making his debut in “The Devil’s Disciple” at the Gaiety Theatre. He then appeared on Broadway in “Richard II” and “The Taming of the Shrew”. After Korea, he divided his time between writing/directing live anthology TV (1954-59) and directing plays on and off Broadway (1957-62).