John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American
film director. He is renowned both for
Westerns such as
Stagecoach (1939),
The Searchers (1956), and
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), as well as adaptations of classic 20th-century American novels such as the film
The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His four
Academy Awards for Best Director (in 1935, 1940, 1941, and 1952) remain a record. One of the films for which he won the award,
How Green Was My Valley, also won Best Picture.