Jules Dassin (December 18, 1911 - March 31, 2008) was a Jewish-American director. He started out in theater and radio before getting a job as assistant director on such films as Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) for Alfred Hitchcock, before convincing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to give him a chance as a director. After making a short film of The Tell-Tale Heart, Dassin was able to move up to making features. Though he made such well-regarded movies as Brute Force (1947) and The Naked City, Dassin ended up fleeing to Europe to avoid the blacklist, and made some of his most well-known films there, including Night and the City, Rififi, Never on Sunday, and Topkapi.
Dassin was married twice, to concert violinist Beatrice Launer (their son eventually becoming famous singer-songwriter Joe Dassin), and then to actress Melina Mercouri, whom he met while making Never On Sunday. He died at the age of 96.
Films directed by Jules Dassin with their own page:
- The Canterville Ghost (1944)
- Brute Force (1947)
- The Naked City (1948)
- Night and the City (1950)
- Rififi (1955)
- Never on Sunday (1960) (also writer, producer and actor)
- Topkapi (1964) (also producer)
