Alfred Hitchcock was the master of British and American horror films in the twentieth century, producing such classics as Psycho, Rebecca, Vertigo, North by Northwest and a score of others. He also produced a popular television program during the 1960s and 70s, featuring ironic commentary by him as host, and made cameo appearances in most of his films, becoming a well-known and iconic figure in the process. His cultivation of the cool blonde persona made for signature roles for such actresses as Eva Marie Saint, Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren. Alfred Hitchock’s films often explored the psychoanalytical underside of human nature, the effects of sexual repression and the sometimes unholy alliances between mothers and children (particularly sons). At the same time, he disparaged the use of Method acting in his films, preferring the straightforward approach from the “learn your lines and be on time†school of acting. His own background was relatively inauspicious; the son of a greengrocer, Alfred rose to prominence and knighthood over his lifetime, stayed married to one woman for fifty-four years and was apparently a doting father to his only child, Patricia. The usual rumors notwithstanding, Sir Alfred Hitchcock apparently lived a life that was a far cry from his famously notorious characters.
