Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (1899-1980) was born in the village of Leytonstone (later a borough of London), England, the son of a greengrocer. His family was Roman Catholic and he was educated in Catholic schools, including the Jesuit St. Ignatius College. He then entered the School of Engineering and Navigation, where he studied draftsmanship before getting a job as a clerk at the W. T. Henley Telegraph Company. Hitchcock later developed an interest in drawing while enrolled in art classes at London University. After the end of World War I, his artistic ability helped land him a position as a sketch artist in Henley's advertising department.

In 1919 his interest in film and theater prompted him to apply for a job as a designer of title cards with the newly formed London branch of Famous Players-Lasky. He moonlighted for a short while before he was offered a permanent job by the studio. Hitchcock stayed with the company until 1922, when Famous Players-Lasky ceased production in England. The physical studio was taken over by a new British company, Balcon-Saville-Freedman, which retained Hitchcock's services. He quickly found himself working in many different capacities, including art director and co-screenwriter for WOMAN TO WOMAN (1923) and THE PASSIONATE ADVENTURE (1924). Because of a coproduction deal with UFA, Hitchcock went to Germany in 1924 as art director, assistant director, and writer for THE PRUDE'S FALL (1925) and THE BLACKGUARD (1925). He was then offered a chance to direct his first feature, THE PLEASURE GARDEN (1925), which was shot in Germany and Italy.

Hitchcock made his name with his third film, THE LODGER (1926), which was a critical and commercial success, and he married Alma Reville in December of that year. Reville had worked as an editor, continuity girl, assistant director, and screenwriter and had been working with Hitchcock since 1923. Hitchcock became one of the best-known and innovative of English directors, making such films as BLACKMAIL (1929), THE 39 STEPS (1935), and THE LADY VANISHES (1938). In 1938 he signed a contract with David O. Selznick and moved his family to Hollywood in 1939, where he made his first U.S. film, REBECCA (1940). The film was a smash hit and he was nominated for an Academy Award. He soon became as well known in the United States as he was in Britain.

In the 1940s he made such films as SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) and NOTORIOUS (1946), and in the 1950s directed, among others, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951), REAR WINDOW (1954), VERTIGO (1958), and NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959). In 1955 Hitchcock became a naturalized U.S. citizen, five years after Alma had done so. That year he also began hosting the television anthology series ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, which ran for seven years. Hitchcock had his greatest commercial success with PSYCHO (1960) and then moved to Universal for the remainder of his career, helming such films as THE BIRDS (1963) and FRENZY (1972). FAMILY PLOT (1976) was his 53rd and final feature. Hitchcock was nominated by the Academy five times in the directing category. He received the 1967 Irving G. Thalberg Award.