Director, scriptwriter and producer of cinema of Austrian origin, one of the great teachers of the history of the cinematography. Their films, between which they emphasize as famous titles as With skirts and to the crazy person or the apartment, go of the social satire to the realistic drama.

It was born in Sucha, near Vienna, the 22 of June of 1906. Its true name was Samuel Wilder and belonged to a rich Jewish family. It left his studies of Right to work like journalist in Berlin, although shortly after it began to write scripts. It collaborated in several of the most famous films of those years, among them Emil and the detectives (1931, of Gerhard Lamprecht). Fleeing from the Nazis it traveled to Paris, where it made debut like director of cinema with dangerous Curves (1934). In 1934 he emigrated to the United States and citizen of that country in 1940 nationalized itself.

In his first years in Hollywood he wrote numerous scripts and he directed some largometrajes, often in collaboration with the producer and writer Charles Brackett. Its films Days without track (1945), on the alcoholism, and the apartment (1960), comedy on hipocresía social, gained prizes Oscar to the best film, the best direction and the best script. Between its masterpieces they are Perdición (1944), the twilight of the Gods (1950), Treasonous in hell (1953), With skirts and to the crazy person (1959), Witness of position (1957) and One, two, three (1961), some of which also produced. In its last films, like the deprived life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), What happened between my father and your mother? (1972), First flat one (1974), Fedora (1978) and Here, a friend (1981), persists his characteristic style: a mixture of romanticism and tenderness together with a critic implacable, ironic and nonfree of cynicism. In 1987 it received a special Oscar of the Academy of Hollywood like recognition to his contribution to the cinematographic art. Their memories, written by Helmut Kazasek, collaborator of Der Spiegel, appeared in 1992 with the title of Billy Wilder (Nobody is perfect). It passed away the 27 of March of 2002 in Los Angeles (Californian).