PK
Photo of Phil Karlson

Phil Karlson

Director, Writer, Actor, Producer, Additional Credits
Born July 2, 1908Died December 12, 1985 (77 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phil Karlson (July 2, 1908, Chicago, Illinois – December 12, 1985, Los Angeles, California) was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street, Kansas City Confidential and Hell's Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s. Other films include Rocky (1948), The Phenix City Story (1955), 5 Against the House (1955) and The Young Doctors (1961).

Phil Karlson was the son of popular Irish actress Lillian O'Brien.

He studied painting at Chicago's Art Institute, and law, at his father's request, at Loyola Marymount University in California.

Karlson got into the film industry working as a prop man while a law student. After working a number of film jobs, including being an assistant director for a number of Abbott and Costello films, Karlson directed his first film in 1944 and in 1948 directed the first film starring Marilyn Monroe, Ladies of the Chorus. He worked on a number of low-budget projects for Monogram Pictures and Eagle-Lion Films before making his mark in 1950. It was then that he was known for directing tough, realistic and sometimes violent gritty crime films. In the 1960s the quality of his directed films declined, which included working on Kid Galahad (1962) with Elvis Presley and two Dean Martin Matt Helm spy films, including The Wrecking Crew (1969) co-starring Sharon Tate and Elke Sommer. He had his biggest success in 1973 when he directed the hit film, Walking Tall. The film made the director a rich man many times over, thanks to the fact that he owned a huge part of the movie.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Phil Karlson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movies & Shows on Plex
  • Kansas City Confidential
  • Walking Tall
  • Ben
Known For
  • Kansas City Confidential
  • Walking Tall
  • The Silencers
  • The Wrecking Crew
  • Scandal Sheet
  • Ben
  • 99 River Street
  • Werewolf of London
  • The Phenix City Story
  • Kid Galahad
  • The Invisible Man Returns
  • Tight Spot
  • Gunman's Walk
  • 5 Against the House
  • The Brothers Rico
  • Hell to Eternity
  • In the Navy
  • Ladies of the Chorus
  • Dark Alibi
  • The Shanghai Cobra
  • Hornets' Nest
  • A Time for Killing
  • It Started with Eve
  • Seven Sinners

Take Plex everywhere

Watch free anytime, anywhere, on almost any device.
See the full list of supported devices