Franklin J. Schaffner
Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920 – July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for Patton (1970) and is known for Planet of the Apes (1968), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Papillon (1973), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). He served as president of the Directors Guild of America from 1987 to 1989.
Schaffner was born in Tokyo to American missionaries and grew up in Japan. His family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania when he was five. He was valedictorian of J. P. McCaskey High School in 1938 and studied drama at Franklin & Marshall College, acting in many plays. He began studying law at Columbia University, but his studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the U.S. Navy and with the Office of Strategic Services.
After the war, he worked in television and film, directing episodes for Studio One and Ford Theatre and earning Emmy Awards for directing Twelve Angry Men and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. He moved into feature films with The Stripper (1963) and The War Lord (1965) before achieving major fame with Planet of the Apes (1968) and Patton (1970), the latter earning him the Best Director Oscar.
His later films included Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Papillon (1973), Islands in the Stream (1977), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His later work also included Sphinx (1981), Yes, Giorgio (1982), Lionheart (1987), and Welcome Home (1989).
Schaffner married Helen Jean Gilchrist in 1948; they had two daughters, Jennie and Kate. He died on July 2, 1989, in Santa Monica, California, at age 69 after a battle with lung cancer.
His legacy includes the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal from the AFI and an achievement award named after him given by the Directors Guild of America.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:59 (CET).