Voting Station

Arthur Penn

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Filmmaker

The Resume

    (September 27, 1922-September 28, 2010)
    Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Directed 'The Left Handed Gun (1958),' 'The Miracle Worker (1962),' 'Mickey One (1965),' 'The Chase (1966),' ' Bonnie and Clyde (1967),' 'Alice's Restaurant (1969),' 'Little Big Man (1970),' 'Night Moves (1975),' 'The Missouri Breaks (1976),' 'Four Friends (1981),' 'Target (1985),' 'Dead of Winter (1987)' and 'Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989)'

Why he might be annoying:

    His father forced him to learn the same trade as himself - watchmaking.
    He labored for five years as a TV director before getting his film break.
    Creative differences, aka argumentative behavior, got him canned from two films - 1964's 'The Train' and 1980's 'Altered States.'
    Obviously not a fan of method acting he quoted, 'Lee Strasberg ruined an entire generation of actors with that sense memory crap.'
    Finding no work as a director in the 2000s, he became executive producer for the TV series Law and Order (12 episodes between 2000-01) before quitting.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His parents divorced when he was a toddler.
    He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
    He was able to step out of the shadow of his older brother, famed photographer Irving Penn.
    He's directed eight actors to Academy Award nominated performances, three of whom (Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft and Estelle Parsons) won the Oscar.
    He wrote the screenplay for 'Alice's Restaurant,' based on an Arlo Guthrie song.
    He's directed over a dozen Broadway productions, drama, comedy and musical.
    He has been married to the same woman for over 50 years.
    He laments of his current directing status, 'There hasn't been much of a market for what I can do. I'm not into outer space epics or youth pictures.'

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 17 Votes: 5.88% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 102 Votes: 63.73% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 32 Votes: 40.62% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 76 Votes: 38.16% Annoying