How tall was Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick's Height

5ft 6 ½ (168.9 cm)

American Film Director, best remembered for directing various classic films such as A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Spartacus, Paths of Glory, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

KubrickForLook (cropped)

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Add a Comment169 comments

Average Guess (27 Votes)
5ft 6.85in (169.8cm)
Sandy Cowell said on 23/Sep/23
How fantastic was Stanley? Recently I watched his version of ‘The Shining’ anc although not exactly true to the book, it was still a fantastic watch .

Within the past couple of days I’ve watched his fin ‘Eyes Wide Shut

It’s difficult to say which one of these films was his masterpiece, but they were all so different that it’s hard to point out . I’ve enjoyed them all. This guy was a genius in his own right, and had I’d been an actor, I’d had lept at the chance of starring in one of his films.

I knew Stsndley wasn’t unduly tall but he made up for this with his incredible talent

5ft6.75.

He was as also a very generous man. ☺️
Sh0ckeh said on 9/Apr/23
Looked around 5'6.5 (169cm) in the making of The Shining next to Jack Nicholson.
Gerald S said on 29/Mar/23
Rob, on this page in May 2016, you said you would add Billy Wilder at some point. Do you think it's time?
Editor Rob
I'm working on 1/3rd time for this site as I used to, just other commitments mean I can't look as much at stuff just now.
QM6'1.5"QM said on 31/Jan/23
The legend of legends!!!

The Shining and A Clockwork Orange will always my top favourite movies of all time!!!

Not "american" of course, but we didn't talk about it :)
Ian C. said on 17/Apr/21
You ask, Sandy, did Kubrick make any boring movies? Barry Lyndon is kind of slow, I think.

And then there is 2001, much of which is deliberately banal, as if Kubrick were playing a practical joke on his audience. A lot of people who have seen it complain about how slow it is. I didn't really get 2001 the first time I saw it as a teenager and, like most people, was annoyed with its deliberately incomprehensible plot. I came to love it in middle age. This is kind of an odd thing to admit, but it is a good movie to watch while getting drunk. You just kind of mellow out and let its extraordinary beauty kind of float you away.

Kubrick did write and direct my favourite movie of all time: Dr. Strangelove, which I have seen start-to-finish about thirty times. I have made friends sit through it, and they usually don't like it much, and can't understand why I do. It contains my favourite line in any movie I've ever seen: "Stay on the bomb run, boys. I'm going to get them doors open if it hairlips everybody on Bear Creek."

I wonder if Kubrick committee suicide. He died suddenly at age seventy, after completing Eyes Wide Shut, although he was said to have been in good health at that time. He was such a perfectionist that he may not have wanted to live with the infirmities of old age. Also, Eyes Wide Shut makes no sense that I can see, so maybe he killed himself because he was embarrassed that it was a dog.
Nik Ashton said on 8/Sep/20
R.I.P Stanley Kubrick.
Jkiller said on 7/Sep/20
Anything between 5'6.5-5'6.75
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 26/Jul/20
Stanley Kubrick was born 92 years ago today. He achieved so much in his 70 years, bless him, and I know through association that he was generous to a fault. 🎁😘

5ft7

RIP Stanley XXX 🕯️💐
(26/7/28 - 7/3/99)
Orlando said on 8/Jul/20
Look at Kubrick next to 1.70 m Shelley Duvall: Click Here
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 2/Apr/20
Oh, good old Stanley! Didn't he make any boring movies? I think not!

Today I have decided upon 5ft7. 😉👍
Greg99 said on 30/Jan/19
FYI Francis Ford Coppola looks a minimum of 4 inches shorter than Gene Hackman (probably slightly more than that) in onset photos from 1974's The Conversation, he was 5'10 tops.
Ian Coleman said on 11/Sep/18
A good reference for Kubrick's physicality and general demeanor is a short documentary on the making of The Shining, which you can get on the DVD for that movie. There is candid footage of Kubrick directing the movie, so you can see him in his natural habitat, so to speak. He looks like a chubby leprechaun. He also seems perfectly sane, and socially agreeable. There is nothing odd or off-putting about him, although he must have been a I.Q. genius, and also obsessive-compulsive to a degree that would have been mental illness is anyone less productive. Why was he making actors do forty-second takes dozens of times? Anyone can see that that is insane, surely.
Tall Sam said on 20/Jul/18
The fairly intensive biography I read a few years ago didn't note his exact height but did mention he could look a notably short man. In old age, Kubrick could look pretty much 5'5.5"-5'6" range on set with Tom Cruise. Peak, right around 2 inches shorter than Peter Sellers and 2.5 under Kirk Douglas looks a pretty good fit, so I too agree with his current listing.
Click Here
Click Here
Sandy Cowell said on 23/Jun/18
Doesn't he look young in this picture?

My boyfriend's ex's father used to know Stanley through work. He was an extremely benevolent man!

I won't get influenced by the average, because I feel that his boyish picture might have influenced the votes! He gets the full 5ft6.5 from me!
mande2013 said on 7/Aug/17
@Marcello Truffaut seems like a tough nut to crack. He looked taller than 5'5 Bob Balaban in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and not that much shorter than Spielberg, so he didn't look as low as 5'4 or anything of that nature, and yet there are photos of him with Belmondo where he looks nothing over 5'5. I wonder what Rob thinks.
Marcello said on 17/Jun/17
@ mande2013 - Truffaut looks around the same height as 5'3 Julie Christie, perhaps an inch taller. He seems a bit smaller than her in this photo, but looks like it could be a bad camera or floor angle.
Click Here

He looks around 4-5 inches shorter than 5'8 Yul Brynner in this Oscars clip.
Click Here
Willie said on 12/Jan/17
In a photo where he stands next to Laurence Olivier they are about same height. 175cm/5'9"?
Ian C. said on 26/Dec/16
I met Kubrick once, in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, and he was six foot two and was wearing a fake beard, and he had a wooden leg. Although I could be wrong.

So much for the height discussion obligation. Kubrick made the best movie of all time (Dr. Strangelove) and the best movie of all time that has no plot (2001), but some of the others kind of miss. A Clockwork Orange is brilliantly stylized but is so mean and cynical that you're sorry you watched it. Eyes Wide Shut goes on for about an hour too long and makes no sense. Barry Lyndon is just plain tedious. Too many times Kubrick sacrificed entertaining an audience to demonstrating how brilliant he was. In fact, Kubrick never made a real blockbuster in the style of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Robert Wise, William Wyler or David Lean. He's really just a cult director, like Robert Altman.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Dec/16
David Cronenberg still missing?
Sam said on 25/May/16
What do you think about Wilder and adding him at the moment, Rob?
Editor Rob
I will add him at some point, I thought 5ft 9.5 range the first time I had a look.
Sam said on 19/May/16
Been a while since a director was added, going to bat again for Billy Wilder, who definitely made a good deal of great films, i.e. at least half a dozen masterpieces...Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend Sunset Blvd, Ace in the Hole, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, those ones are timeless and unassailable. Plus underrated sleepers that I love like One, Two, Three, I don't think he ever made a bad movie.
Linked before his bio that described him as a wiry 5'10", the guy had bad posture but can look a bit under it.
w/ Marilyn Monroe: Click Here
camera disadvantage by Humphrey Bogart: Click Here
w/ Audrey Hepburn: Click Here
w/ Jack Lemmon & Shirley MacLaine: Click Here
w/ Lemmon & Walter Matthau: Click Here
w/ Tony Curtis, whose in heels: Click Here
w/ Ray Milland: Click Here
w/ William Holden: Click Here
w/ Kirk Douglas: Click Here
w/ Dean Martin: Click Here
w/ Barbara Stanwyck & Fred MacMurray: Click Here
w/ Gary Cooper, Hepburn & Maurice Chevalier: Click Here
rare good posture by Charles Laughton & Marlene Dietrich: Click Here
w/ Spencer Tracy & James Stewart, who cross-legged & leaning still towers the other 2: Click Here
older on same step as MacMurray, Hepburn & Curtis: Click Here
Obviously, 5'10" is optimistic and I'm having a hard time even with 5'9.5" I'd considered before. I think Wilder & Lemmon take turns edging each other and look pretty close but Wilder may have been a smidge taller standing his best. Maybe I'd give 5'9.25" for Wilder at peak if he stood straighter since he usually has an obvious slouch. Would take a look and consider him, Rob?
Sam said on 9/Nov/15
Also really would like a page for Howard Hawks...would you consider his addition now?
here w/ Lauren Bacall: Click Here
Near Cesar Romero & Tyrone Power, all are standing a bit casually: Click Here
w/ Paula Prentiss: Click Here
w/ Douglas Fairbanks Jr.: Click Here
slouching near Gary Cooper: Click Here
slouching near Jane Russell: Click Here
leaning near Carole Lombard & John Barrymore: Click Here
On g books search, 5 books came up mentioning he was 6'3".
Click Here
This is definitely too much but more I see of him I think he makes a pretty convincing 6'1.5" rather than the 6'1"-6'1.25" I saw him at before. Definitely a fairly tall guy especially for his day and age.
Sam said on 9/Nov/15
For F.W. Murnau, here's a book that states "almost seven feet tall". Click Here
But here is a Theatre Magazine from 1928 that states he is "six feet, four inches tall". Click Here
I think Murnau does look towering but a near seven foot frame, I find highly doubtful based on what photos are out there. 6'4" seems more realistic. Would you add him now, Rob?
Editor Rob
In his era, I think he made some great films, so I think I will give him a place.
mande2013 said on 23/Aug/15
Will Truffaut and Godard ever be added to the database? If this picture of Truffaut standing between Belmondo and Deneuve is anything to go by, then he could have been as low as 5'4-5'5 range, because Catherine doesn't appear to be wearing huge heels: Click Here
mande2013 said on 20/Aug/15
@Sam Angela Molina is smokin' hot in that pic with Bunuel and Fernando Rey!
Sam said on 10/Aug/15
I feel the same way about Sunrise too, Arch, as well as Nosferatu. Would you add Murnau, Rob?
Sam said on 10/Aug/15
Yeah, she's stunning...couldn't take my eyes off her in Maud's...
Arch Stanton said on 2/Aug/15
My bad it's Françoise Fabian. In the tub here ;-) Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 2/Aug/15
@Sam Have you seen My Night at Maud's? I swear Marie-Christine Barrault in it is one of the sexiest women I've ever seen. Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 30/Jul/15
Murnau was a genius IMO. I must have watched Nosferatu nearly half a dozen times. Each time I get something from it. I've been trying to see his films gradually like Renior too, Der brennende Acker is an underrated one worth watching.
Sam said on 29/Jul/15
Don't you think F.W. Murnau is worth adding since he was frequently noted for his height, 6'4" much more like than near the 7 foot tall mark. I'm quite sure a solid 6'4" German guy from his generation is like him is like the equivalent of a 6'8" guy today.
Sam said on 27/Jul/15
F.W. Murnau, a true great auteur with a too short career. He was famed for his height. Please consider adding Rob.
This Hitchcock biography claims "almost seven feet tall"!
Click Here
However, this book has a more realistic 6'4": Click Here
There are few pictures of him standing up but he looks very tall not gigantic height like a true near seven footer would look back then.
w/ Matisse: Click Here
on The Last Laugh set: Click Here
Click Here
Sam said on 23/Jul/15
Another director I think definitely deserves to get a page: Luis Bunuel.
He looked pretty tall for a Spanish man from that generation I think.
bad photos w/ Catherine Deneueve: Click Here
Click Here
w/ Fernando Rey, who I think looked around 3 inches shorter than Gene Hackman in The French Connection:
Click Here
Click Here
w/ Michel Piccoli:
Click Here
younger w/ Salvador Dali:
Click Here
I've read a biography on him but despite his boxing career it does not mention Bunuel's physical stats. Could have been near 5'10.5" all things considered. What do you, Rob/Arch/et al.?
Sam said on 13/Jul/15
Another director I feel deserves a page: Frank Capra. According to this book he was 5'5.5", a rare half inch reference and accurate I think.
Click Here
Here with Cary Grant & Jimmy Stewart.
Click Here
With Stewart again and Jean Arthur.
Click Here
Editor Rob
5ft 5.5 sounds like a believable mark for him, I'll give him that.
Arch Stanton said on 28/Jun/15
Sam. average height in India for his generation might have been about 5 ft 3. So yeah. easily a foot over average in India at the time, so comparable to a 6 ft 10 or 11 giant in US or UK today.
Arch Stanton said on 27/Jun/15
Could you buy that Rob? Click Here Click Here
In that last one in fairness Ray doesn't look over 6'4", in the first one he does though.
Arch Stanton said on 27/Jun/15
Rob, making another pass for adding Ray and Kurosawa, all-time masters definitely worth adding. I say 6'4.25 for Ray and 5'11.5 for Kurosawa.
Arch Stanton said on 21/Jun/15
I was about the ask the same thing, I've been getting into Ray's films of
late. I thought he looked the same sort of height as Jeff Goldblum, I think 6'4.25 might be a good shout.
Sam said on 13/May/15
Rob, would you consider adding Ray now? His home page bio states "Satyajit Ray, standing 6'-4" tall, was a towering figure in the world of cinema." Might even be a conservative listing...I've seen other listings at 6'5" and he can look well within the 6'4"-6'5", which I'd think for an Indian man of his generation is equivalent of being a giant 6'9" in America or the UK today. He also happens to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
Click Here
Editor Rob
I will think about it
Sam said on 2/Apr/15
Iñárritu can look pretty solid at 5'10" next to Brad Pitt and Alfonso Cuaron, however he can look no more than 5'9.5" with Michael Keaton as he is scarcely taller.
Arch Stanton said on 27/Feb/15
Rob can you add Alejandro González Iñárritu and Vittorio De Sica then?
Editor Rob
I'm not sure yet on adding either.
Arch Stanton said on 10/Jan/15
Paul Thomas Anderson seems to be similar to Kubrick in that respect, one of the greatest living directors IMO.
Sam said on 8/Jan/15
Yeah, there were some great ones. I would bet Kubrick would teach you to work towards nothing but perfection. More so than Citizen Kane, Gregg Toland's work in The Grapes of Wrath might be my all-time favorite cinematography...he really managed to make it look so beautiful and so harsh at the same time.
Panda said on 7/Jan/15
Several people have already mentioned it here Rob but what about David Lean? He's listed as 6'1" but he looks more 6'0" compared to Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif. How tall would you say Lean is Rob? I say a solid 6'0", maybe 6'0.5".
Editor Rob
yes, I think he is long overdue a page on here.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Jan/15
@Sam Same cinematographer for Superman as 2001 Space Odyssey,
Geoffrey Unsworth. That explains why is was so darn good!! Another great master cinematographer. Some of the scenes in the first half hour of Superman are right up there with the greatest cinematographic pieces . Unsworth incidentally also shot the Purple Plain with Peck and Bernard Lee which I also thought was a striking film. I must start paying attention to cinematographers more I think!
Sam said on 5/Jan/15
Interesting, Arch, would need to re-watch that, since I don't really remember the cinematography in that. Sad to here about Gordon Willis's passing this year, more than any other cinematographer, he wasn't afraid to use darkness on his canvas so to speak, he was a true cinematographic artist.

I don't know if I brought it up before, but feel like the Coen Bros really bring out the best in their cinematographers BTW.
Sam said on 5/Jan/15
Rob, here's Ray's official page. In his bio it states "Satyajit Ray, standing 6'-4" tall, was a towering figure in the world of cinema." Would you consider adding him?
Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 1/Jan/15
I remember Sam we were discussing films with the greatest cinematography a while back. Saw the 1978 Superman today after a good ten years and I'd forgotten how good it was! The cinematography and effects at times were staggering.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Dec/14
Somebody like Capra or Cukor would indeed be a delight to see on here. Yeah I saw a picture of Capra with Luise Rainer I think who was no more than 5 ft 3 and I remember thinking he looked weak 5'6". Something around 167cm might be a good shout.
Sam said on 17/Dec/14
Rob, could you consider adding Akira Kurosawa?
Editor Rob
I wasn't as sure on him, but then had a look and actually found a quote! Whether it is right is another matter, but maybe I'll add him at the claim he said...
Sam said on 12/Dec/14
What about Frank Capra? I think he claimed 5'7" but he looked relative to his often rather tall actors like around Ben Stiller-size, maybe 5'5.5".
Sam said on 12/Dec/14
Could you add to Kubrik's credits, The Killing, Paths of Glory, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove and Barry Lyndon?
Sam said on 10/Dec/14
Still would love to see pages for the following directors!:
1. Akira Kurosawa (claimed "nearly six feet tall")
2. Howard Hawks (could look a strong 6'1"er, maybe 186-187 cm, probably not the full 6'2" previously claimed on the internet)
3. Billy Wilder (claimed per bio as 5'10", could look may a half inch under it at peak)
4. Satyajit Ray (official website claims 6'4", could look solid 6'4"-6'5")
5. Francis Ford Coppola (a sloucher & fat but could look 5'11" range in photos from the 70s)
Arch Stanton said on 24/Nov/14
Well Sam, Cuckoo's Nest ranks high among the best films ever made. Although he hasn't been as prolific as some of the great masters and there are many others who've directed many more gems than he has, some of his films like that, Amadeus, Fireman's and Blonde are works of a director who could justifiably be mentioned along with the greats.
Arch Stanton said on 23/Nov/14
Gone Girl, Interstellar and Grand Budapest Hotel are the best movies I've seen this year.
Arch Stanton said on 23/Nov/14
Very good, I prefer Loves of a Blonde though I think.
177cmGuy said on 22/Nov/14
5'6.5 or 5'7 should be right. Influential filmaker. Just rewatched the shining after 8 years very disturbing movie.
Sam said on 18/Nov/14
No idea on Forman's height...someone I know in Philly though, apparently Forman dated for a bit his cousin, a girl who had to less than half his age, maybe I should ask him! Forman's interesting but I don't know if he's among the top greatest directors. What did you think of The Fireman's Ball, Arch?
Sam said on 18/Nov/14
Haven't seen Interstellar yet, I want to see Gone Girl and that as soon as I can! No surprise though...had no interest in seeing Soderbergh's Solaris remake because I don't want to see a "Hollywood" version of that great film...don't know whether Stalker, Solaris or Andrei Rublev is Tarkovsky's best. So few people know his name but Ingmar Bergman felt inferior compared to him!
Arch Stanton said on 17/Nov/14
Did you notice the strong influence of Solaris and The Mirror in Interstellar Sam?
Arch Stanton said on 13/Nov/14
How about Milos Forman Sam?
Sam said on 13/Nov/14
Yeah, there's a picture of Tarkovsky with Kurosawa and I think Kurosawa looks at least 3 inches taller. Antonioni I'm not surprised at, he could seem about an inch and a half under Alain Delon in photos. All good directors, diavolo, although I have mixed feelings about some of Von Trier's stuff. As to Hitchcock, he always struck me as a low end of average in photos, not a short guy. I'm sure with his weight he might have lost a bit of height fairly early.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Nov/14
Can you add Kurosawa then? I think 5'11.5" might be OK for him as a younger guy. Andrei Tarkovsky was a giant in other ways though! The Mirror, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, Stalker and The Sacrifice in particular are all among the best films of all time. My personal favourite is The Mirror, magical really.
diavolo said on 11/Nov/14
Hitchcock is another interesting topic. He was often described as 5'7", but in his older days he was closer to 5'5" imo. Yet, he still looked about an inch taller than Francois Truffaut, who was often put at 5'5.5" or 5'6". Maybe Hitchcock only had a bad posture, but was taller than most would say.

Fellini was indeed described mostly as 5'11" or 6'. Michelangelo Antonioni was 5'8", which surprised me, I thought of him as a tall, slender guy. Maybe his slim figure added to the illusion of being tall. Pier Paolo Pasolini was only 5'5.5" (167 cm), he was often described as a short guy. Standing next to Orson Welles he was literally dwarfed by his American colleague.

Andrei Tarkovsky was also 5'8", a really slim guy. I would even put him at 5'7". Really small frame.

German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder described himself (in character) in one of his films as standing at 176 cm. He looked it, although he often wore big-heeled footwear (it was the '70s...).

Lars Von Trier gets described as 5'7" and standing next to tall people like Nicole Kidman, he surely looks it. Maybe even 5'6".
Sam said on 10/Nov/14
Rob, please consider adding Akira Kurosawa, my favorite director I think. Here's the exact quote from his autobiography "She looked up at this person who had reached nearly six feet tall and 150 pounds".
Click Here
I think he does pass for a solid 181 cm in younger years, maybe even 182 cm...here's some comparisons, mainly with other directors-
w/ 5'8.5" listed Toshiro Mifune:
Click Here
w/ Satyajit Ray, who was reportedly 6'4"-6'5" range:
Click Here
w/ 5'6" listed George Lucas & 5'11" range Francis Ford Coppola:
Click Here
w/ height loss next to 5'3" listed Martin Scorsese:
Click Here
in his late 70s so quite a bit of height loss w/ Lucas again & 5'7.5" listed Steven Spielberg:
Click Here
next to 6'1" listed John Huston in a full-on old age shrink off:
Click Here
Sam said on 10/Nov/14
Heightwise, I have no clue on Clouzot...do you? Yeah, I've only seen his more famous films but they are fantastic.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Nov/14
Sam your two cents is required on the Sissy Spacek and Janet Gaynor pages.
Arch Stanton said on 4/Nov/14
@Sam any idea on Henri-Georges Clouzot? One of my favourites. Wages of Fear, Quay of the Goldsmiths and Diabolique are all among the best films ever made IMO. Amazing director.
Sam said on 28/Oct/14
On Federico Fellini, his bio states "He was a big man, six feet tall, but with a larger aspect- that of being bigger than his physical size would indicate". Another true great, worthy of a page, Rob!
Click Here
Sam said on 15/Oct/14
Back to MacLaglen, here in a biography for Josef von Sternberg, it mentions "a baffling choice, since at six foot three inches, he towered over Dietrich".
Click Here
Sam said on 13/Oct/14
One more director to be reviewed today, Billy Wilder. Here's a bio book where it claims for him "By fifteen, he was five feet teen inches tall, a wiry, tough, muscular lad".
Click Here
I've also read he was taller his most used leading man, Jack Lemmon, although in photos, Wilder looks scarcely taller. Also, Tony Curtis in heels looks taller. The tallest he looks is in a photo with Charles Laughton & Marlene Dietrich, he actually looks taller than 5'10" maybe. The shortest with Lemmon and Walter Matthau, since Lemmon actually looks taller. Wilder had one of those rounded, pinched faces that look like they belong on a elf LOL, albeit one who celebrates Passover & Yom Kippur.
Click Here
Sam said on 13/Oct/14
As for Howard Hawks, here's some shots including one with Cary Grant where it seems Hawks has an edge on Grant and towering next to Carole Lombard and John Barrymore but he's closer to the camera.
Click Here
Here's a couple with John Wayne, the first is not great and in the second both have presumably lost some height since it was taken while filming Rio Lobo (Hawks being 74, Wayne 63). Also there Wayne is standing better in probably considerably bigger boots.
Click Here
Click Here
I scanned through the Howard Hawks bio I have at home and there's no reference to his height although a couple pages reference him as tall, on set he seemed to sit or lean whenever possible, the book made a point to mention, a physically lazy but genius director!
I think you could go with a 186 cm for a listing, 187 cm possible but generous IMO.
Sam said on 13/Oct/14
Throne of Blood is one of my favorites...the best big-screen Macbeth ever LOL? Anyway, Kurosawa himself said nearly six feet so I think he'd had no reason to exaggerate in his autobiography. In many photos, Kurosawa can tower his cast and crew members, probably with an average male range of 5'5"-5'7". He and his two director besties, Ishiro Honda (Godzilla's creator!) and Kajirô Yamamoto, who were always hanging around together while tolling as assistant directors, were referred to as the Three Towers because they were all unusually tall and similar range.
Sam said on 13/Oct/14
Yeah, I think for MacLaglen a 189 cm peak listing might be apt, pretty much exactly an inch under Wayne. He also pulled that off I think next to Cary Grant in Gunga Din. They don't hugely look alike and MacLaglen wasn't as cut as him, but Dave Batista in Guardians of the Galaxy reminded me of MacLaglen down to the massive shoulders and persona (the druken scene, the over-pontificating, the big heart, frequently lashing out before thinking things through).
Arch Stanton said on 12/Oct/14
In fairness though MacLagen did tower above most of the cast of The Informer and towered them like a 6'4 guy would but that generation 5'7" was more average.
190 is possible.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Oct/14
@ Sam In The Informer I thought MacLagen looked more a solid 6'2". Not even close to 6'4.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Oct/14
@Sam, Wayne generally looked about an inch taller than MacLagen. I thought he pulled off nearer 6'3 than 6'2". 6'2.5" might be a good listing for him with Wayne at 6'3.75.
Arch Stanton said on 11/Oct/14
@Sam Yeah I think 181cm peak for Kurosawa, I think 6 ft in shoes might have been right. He looks like he lost some height later on. Ray I reckon 6'4.5" would be a good shout seems as he was described as both 6'4 and 6'5. He definitely looked around that. Saw Jalshagar and Throne of Blood the other day Sam :-)
Sam said on 10/Oct/14
I just realized that MacLaglen & Wallace Beery do not have pages. 2 bears of men that didn't have huge acting ranges but had big hearts & compelling personas. Even towards the end, MacLaglen looked huge in Quiet Man, he could seem near 6'3". In The Lost Patrol, he could seem only a strong 6'2".
Sam said on 9/Oct/14
Ah, I found a link to Print the Legend online but I can't seem to find the page on there with the military listing. There is a quote about Timothy Carey (Sr.) meeting the young Ford "Carey gazed upon a skinny young man, six feet tall, with lots of deep red hair and glasses that evened out his nearsightedness".
Click Here
Editor Rob
it seems from the part of that book talking about him John Ford was 51 when WW1 ended...."He was six feet tall, weight 175"...mentioned his eyesight, it seems like that was what he was in his 40's when in the Navy.
Sam said on 9/Oct/14
Did I forget to post that page with the John Ford photos? He really looks six foot tops, i.e. about an inch under Wallace Beery & Clark Gable, 2 inches under Victor McLaughlin and about 4 under John Wayne.
Editor Rob
I think Mclaglin claimed 6ft 4 in his prime!
Sam said on 8/Oct/14
I guess I could see the Goldblum resemblance a tad in Ray...Ray had tough, masculine looks, more so than Goldblum I'd say somewhat at odds with the sensitive, humanistic, complex feel of his films.
Sam said on 8/Oct/14
Nope, he definitely didn't seem to be 6'1.25" that might be in shoes. Here's pictures where he looks about an inch under 6'1"ish Wallace Beery, about an inch under 6'0.5" listed Clark Gable, at least a couple inches under strong 6'2"er Victor MacLaglen and can look around 4 inches under 6'4"ish John Wayne. I think he lost height fairly early on, by the 1950s he was already in pretty poor health and could look well sub-6'0".
Click Here
Sam said on 7/Oct/14
Here's a journalist claiming Akira Kurosawa as "seventy-one years old, six feet tall, sligtly stooped"...although I'd admit Kurosawa looked no more than 179 cm next to 6'4"-6'5" range Satyajit Ray iN Arch's photo. In some earlier photos with Japanese cast and crew, Kurosawa can seem near six feet at times but probably really no more than 181 cm. Click Here
Sam said on 7/Oct/14
I have no idea how to do that but might try to do so later. I couldn't find Print the Legend online linked but this other book about Ford online stating he "stood six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds".
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Editor Rob
there is another quote in a book there where it mentions Ford's passport has him 6ft 1 and 1/4...does that sound at all feasible, it seems such a specific height to have been made up.
Sam said on 7/Oct/14
Oi, I forgot to put John Ford and Ray at or near the top.

Rob, I have the book Print the Legend and it includes his WWII military enlistement with a height of 6'0"...he did hold his own with his often tall cast members. Any chance you might track that down with a listing for Ford?
Editor Rob
are you not able to snap a picture somehow, it would be a good confirmation to me for adding him.
Sam said on 6/Oct/14
Ray could really look 6'4" to 6'5", here a picture of him being honored and towering the two caucasian guys.
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I don't know both Ray and Kurosawa are fairly prominent names in the west and you can find articles noting how tall they were for their generations...although Kurosawa was just tall, for an Indian man at that time, I think Ray would qualify literally as a giant.
Since, Huston is added, I'd say the top directors I'd like to see on here: Hawks, Kurosawa, Wilder, Coppola, Fellini, Bergman, Lean, Capra and Cronenberg.
Arch Stanton said on 5/Oct/14
Click Here He did look a proper 6'4 man didn't he. Looks like Goldblum in that pic!
Arch Stanton said on 5/Oct/14
@ Sam Satyajit Ray as a younger man looked a bit like Jeff Goldblum in height and features. 6'4 ish is probably accurate.
Arch Stanton said on 3/Oct/14
Rob is there any chance of you adding at least ones like David Cronenberg, John Huston and Howard Hawks? The latter two were pretty huge names in the celeb world and Cronenberg is obviously a big name in cinema still today. I'd also argue that great masters like Akira Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray would also be worth adding but I understand from a western perspective at least why you'd not bother.
Arch Stanton said on 23/Aug/14
He had Tracy by -2-3 cm I think Sam when stood straight, although Tracy was looking more 5'8.5" next to Gene Kelly by then,
Sam said on 18/Aug/14
I'd put March on the fast list to be added here...The only actor to ever win an Oscar for a horror movie role BTW, unless you count The Silence of the Lambs as a horror film (then also Hopkins).

I can't really remember how he compared to Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind, from memory, I think he was a smidge taller but they were both up there in age by then.
Arch Stanton said on 15/Aug/14
5'10.5" for March I think would be a good shout.
Arch Stanton said on 15/Aug/14
With a heeled Lauren Bacall I thought Hawks looked near 6'2", You're probably right than 6'1.5" might be a better shout.
Sam said on 14/Aug/14
Hell yeah on Fredric March...for some reason I thought he was already listed. He was one of the top actors of his day and was a bonifided leading actor. He was in my favorite Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. March might have not been a strong 5'10" but could have scrapped it, I feel.
Here with Gary Cooper (walking shot near the end of page, maybe 5.5 inches shorter).
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But here he looks 5'10" with the similar-heighted Dana Andrews and the smae w/ six foot range Wallace Beery.
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Sam said on 14/Aug/14
F.W. Murnau was reported somewhere as "nearly 7 feet tall" years ago...that's what probably lead to those listing. The problem is, no one really knows how tall he actually was. There's no shots I could find of him standing next to actors of known height, like six footers such as Emil Jannings and George O'Brien, but he's usually sitting down in photos and the few of him standing with crew members seem to show a guy of more 6'5" tops, very tall but not giant height.
Sam said on 14/Aug/14
There's a shot from the making of Bringing Up Baby in a book that I saw and Hawks really looks no taller than Cary Grant, I believe both guys were slouching down and looking at the ground. I'd go with a more conservative 6'1.5" for Hawks. Other than that, I agree with your listings and suggestions, Arch.
Gonzalo said on 14/Aug/14
I don´t think Hawks was over 1`85. Next to Wayne or Cooper he doesn´t look 1`88.
Huston looks very tall in Chinatown next to Jack Nicholson. 1`88 minimum for him.
March looked in the 1`80 area.
Jean Renoir looked tall in "Le testament du DR. Cordelier" or in "Les regles du jeu". He could be around 1`83
Anon said on 13/Aug/14
On the subject of directors, what about Michael Winner?
Also, Andrew V Mclaglen. I read that he stood 6'8".
Arch Stanton said on 13/Aug/14
Another really big name Rob is Fredric March, IMO one of the greatest actors of all time. I think he's be worth adding. I think he was looking similar to Douglas in Seven Days but he was older by then. In The Man with the Grey Flannel Suit he was looking a solid 5 ft 10 next to Peck I though. 5 ft 10 or 179cm might be a good shout.
Arch Stanton said on 13/Aug/14
Rob any chance you could add some of these prominent directors then:

David Cronenberg - 5 ft 8
Francis Ford Coppola - 5 ft 11
Howard Hawks - 6 ft 2 (I think he might have scraped it)
John Huston - 6'2.5
Arch Stanton said on 13/Aug/14
Murnau was one of the great early director, definitely, I've seen five of his films. Can't see Rob wanting to add him though!
Gonzalo said on 13/Aug/14
An interesting addition to this site would be German director of silent movies FW Murnau, whom I have seen listed at 6`9 or 6´10!! In pics he looks tall, but I am not sure he was that tall.
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Simon and Gabin were great. I think Gabin was around 1`75
Sam said on 4/Aug/14
Well, here's Michel Simon with Burt Lancaster in The Train, he was quite old by then, I'd guess Simon would have peaked a strong 5'10", like 5'10.5"-5'10.75"...he looked a big bear of a guy in loads of older French films, but a lot seemed to have fairly short casts.
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Jean Gabin was on- and off-again a lot w/ Marlene Dietrich. I would say you could make an argument for a weak 5'8" for him, maybe 5'7.75".
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Unfortunately, according to Dietrich's biography, Gabin was somewhat anti-semitic. Well, it said Dietrich would cheat with Fritz Lang (he was half-Jewish & raised Catholic) and then falsely assure a jealous Gabin that she wouldn't bed a Jew.
Sam said on 4/Aug/14
No, Huston's daughter, son and grandson are listed but not him or his dad, Walter. I'd say add them all! Huston was listed 6'4" a lot but was more of a solid 6'2" guy. I'd say 6'2.5"
Howard Hawks got listed as 6'2" or 6'3" in places, but he does haven't a big advantage over Cary Grant in photos...maybe 6'1.5"
John Ford- in his biography ("Print the Legend") he is cited as 6'0" numerous times.
Francis Ford Coppola- I read somewhere he was six feet tall, but obviously wasn't with the cast of The Godfather. He was definitely taller than peak Robert De Niro. I'd say 5'11".
Of the "younger" group, David Cronenberg, I'd agree, since he's also a sometimes actor. 5'8"
I'd like to see Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray added since both were known in the press for their height.
mande2013 said on 3/Aug/14
I'm not Sam, but regarding Jean Gabin I've seen listings ranging from 5'7 to 5'8 1/2. Michel Simon I'd say was most certainly over 5'10.
Arch Stanton said on 1/Aug/14
@ Sam

Directors? I haven't checked to see if Rob has these listed but offhand:

David Lean
John Ford
Howard Hawks
John Huston (vaguely recall a listing already)
Francis Ford Coppola
David Cronenberg
David Fincher
Steven Soderberg

Perhaps ones like Renoir, Truffaut and Herzog but I don't really think most of the classic directors like Cukor or Capra etc many people would really care. I definitely think though that Rob might consider ones like Cronenberg and Soderberg who are quite prominent celebs and frequently pictured with celebs of known height.
Arch Stanton said on 1/Aug/14
Thanks Diavolo. @Sam any idea how tall Jean Gabin or Michel Simon were? Both terrific actors, Simon gave one of the most warming performances of all time in Boudu Saved from Drowning, one of my favourite films and one of Renoir's best.
diavolo said on 24/Jul/14
Answering an old question by Arch Stanton: Fritz Lang was 5'11" (180 cm) tall. At least that was the height given on his US immigration documents. They are reprinted in a book about Lang's work.
Sam said on 24/Jul/14
Arch, which directors would you be most interested in adding on a celebheights listing?
Sam said on 16/Jun/14
Truffaut was indeed quite short, he was a little shorter than Alfred Hitchcock, even though Hitchcock was almost elderly and, of course, obese when they met, with Hitchcock's top listing of 5'7"...I'd guess Truffaut at 5'6" tops, 5'5.5" most likely. Godard was clearly a little taller, maybe by 2 inches but not tall. Eddie Constantine, who would about average height, had a few inches on him. 5'7-5'7.5" ish.
Arch Stanton said on 15/Jun/14
@ Ian/Gonzalo. Rob knew when I requested this page it would be a good one for general film discussion and discussing heights of actors and directors and he seemed fine with that. You're unlikely to get many people really commenting on Kubrick's height.
Gonzalo said on 13/Jun/14
Godard, I have no idea. Truffaut looked short in the movies I have seen. In La nuit americaine he looked 1`70 at the most. Good film. Gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset was in it
Sam said on 9/Jun/14
We have permission slips from Rob on this one page, I think. He can start blocking us at any time. Full Metal Jacket is clearly the most height conscious ("5'9"? I didn't know they stack s*** that high!") but gets the edge over other Kubrick joints due to camera angles.
I see what you mean about 3:10 to Yuma, a very underrated effort...my biggest complaint is that the Russell Crowe character was too superhuman, I actually like Glenn Ford (admittedly not generally on Crowe's level) better because he seemed more of an Iago-like trickster who could talk everybody into a hellish situation. I think Mullholland Dr was on in a previous 1001 list but got spit out as they put out a new edition every year.
Scorsese at least still has his muse, unlike almost all of those New Hollywood guys from the 1970s, he makes thought provoking films still...I wish De Niro could get on track with his choices, as I wish with directors like Coppola, Friedkin, Lucas, etc.
Ian C. said on 8/Jun/14
You guys better get with the program. This is a height discussion site, and we're not here to discuss Kubrick's movies. So which is Kubrick's tallest movie? I'd say, 2001: A Space Odyssey which is at least six foot three. Lolita is the shortest, at five foot eight. Full Metal Jacket is often listed at six foot two, but I suspect that it wore elevator shoes.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Jun/14
Technically I think Lord of the Rings would be the best film since 2000, if you consider the three together as one it's actually a good candidate for the best film ever made, but in terms of plot, Mulholland Drive for me was a masterpiece! I can't believe it wasn't even listed in my 1001 film book!
Arch Stanton said on 6/Jun/14
Mullholland Drive probably has my vote for best film since 2000, but yeah films like Memento, There Will and No Country are all great candidate for that title. I'd also put forward 3:10 to Yuma which I thought was a brilliant modern western, way better than the original although I wouldn't consider it better than the others we mentioned. Obviously there's others but right now I can't think of too many!
Arch Stanton said on 6/Jun/14
Scorsese is still a master director, but I don't think you can compare his more recent films to his real best ones of the 70s and early 80s.
Sam said on 5/Jun/14
I haven't seen in Diabolique in many years, so I've forgotten how they compared there.
Sam said on 5/Jun/14
Yeah, all those guys are good...McQueen has so few films but they're powerful ones. Anderson & Payne (& obviously Malick) have those really distinct styles, I'm less convinced that all of Payne's will stand the test of time though. I thoroughly enjoyed Grand Budapest. I would add Coens to the list and say No Country for Old Men & There Will Be Blood as the best films from the 2000s, alongside Memento. Anderson might have the best chance to be a real genius auteur up there with the all-time greats, I rank Boogie Nights-Magnolia highly but he gets better, There Will Be Blood & The Master tower over those earlier two in my mind.
How would you rank Scorsese in the last 20 years?
Arch Stanton said on 4/Jun/14
She was the first French person to win an Academy Award when she won Best Actress for Room at the Top opposite Laurence Harvey. Both were great in that film weren't they Sam?
Arch Stanton said on 3/Jun/14
Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Alexander Payne, Steve McQueen, Terence Malick and a few others I rate much higher than Tarantino nowadays. I particularly love Anderson's films. There Will Be Blood in particular for me ranks right up there with the greatest films of all time. I've seen all of his films since Hard Eight which was a terrific film debut!
Arch Stanton said on 3/Jun/14
@Sue. You're good on estimating short women. What do you reckon for Vera? I think 4'10-4'11". @Sam yeah she was tiny. Click Here Simone Signoret I think was no more than 5 ft 5, definitely not 5'6" as I've seen for her, probably 5'4.5" or something. When Vera took off her shoes next to her I could see as low as 4 ft 10. maybe 4 ft 11 but I'd say definitely sub 5'0. Yeah I don't rate Tarantino among the real masters anymore, although I did think Inglorious was very good. Yasujiro Ozu also one who really impresses me. Tokyo Story, Floating Weeds and The End of Summer were excellent.
Sam said on 2/Jun/14
Mizoguchi is really special, his are some of the most haunting, atmospheric films of all time. Kurosawa might be my all-time favorite and you can see Mizoguchi's great influence on him. I've read that Ozu is like nourishing tofu, Kurosawa is like flavorful, sometimes spicy sushi, what Japanese food does that Mizoguchi, haha...I've also more recently started exploring Maski Kobayashi and Kon Ichikawa of those guys from the "golden age" of Japanese cinema.
Sam said on 2/Jun/14
I think Nolan is doing a good job keeping his films interesting as they've grown massively in scale but Memento is still probably his best. He's done better IMO than Tarantino...I think Reservoir Dogs is still his best, followed by Pulp Fiction...I think after Jackie Brown his movies show increasing disconnect from real people, just endless reguritation of movie scenes and characters. I was obsessed with Tarantino in the 90s, but I've felt unimpressed with him recently.
Sam said on 2/Jun/14
On Véra, I genuinely had no idea she was tiny. I thought she was average height for Diabolique.
Arch Stanton said on 1/Jun/14
Sam what do you think of Kenji Mizoguchi? What a master filmmaker. His films are so beautiful!
Arch Stanton said on 31/May/14
I think Jane Powell might have edged Vera out!
Arch Stanton said on 31/May/14
Click Here See how cute she was?
Arch Stanton said on 30/May/14
Rob can you find anything about Clouzot's height? In fact seeing Clouzot barefoot in Les Diaboliques I think she might have actually been as low as 4'10". Definitely not over 5 ft anyway!
Editor Rob
not really saw anything
Arch Stanton said on 30/May/14
Sam, any idea how tall Véra Clouzot was? Gorgeous woman and in two amazing films Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques. But she had to have been 5 ft max. I'd actually guess 4'11" range. She was tiny. Very beautiful woman though.
Arch Stanton said on 25/Apr/14
I think Nolan's one of the most promising directors of film at the moment. He already has a few master pieces doesn't he. I don't think anybody can beat Kubrick but I love what he's doing with film. Originality is so important. Inception could have been one of Kubrick's. I think by the end of his life Nolan will go down among the greats.

I rate Hitchcock very highly but he was too obsessed with murder and women. I wished he'd have directed a greater range of films
Sam said on 1/Apr/14
Arch, what do you think of Nolan? Obviously, he's a lot taller than Kubrick, maybe 5'11.25", right between DiCaprio and Bale. He's majorly influenced by Kubrick but I don't think Nolan will ever reach those cerebral heights or be nearly as innovative. He more takes after his other influence, Ridley Scott, a precise craftsmen who occasionally knocks out a masterpiece but probably not a true genius like Kubrick. On the other hand, I think Memento is great and enjoy the Dark Knight movies.
Sam said on 31/Mar/14
I thought he looked bigger but Powell didn't seem tall next to Martin Scorsese in latter years, although there's not a lot of good photos for comparison.

Rob, would you consider adding Kurosawa, considering the autobiography quote, and Satyajit Ray, considering the official website listing?
Arch Stanton said on 24/Mar/14
Not sure exactly on Michael Powell, but I believe I saw a photo of him on set of Black Narcissus a while back next to Kerr and I thought he looked around 6 ft in comparison.
Arch Stanton said on 22/Mar/14
Any idea of Martin Potter's height? Watching Fellini's Satyricon.
Ian said on 21/Mar/14
@Arch Stanton: David Lean was a tall guy, he more than held his own in pictures with Peter O'Toole. He was most likely around 6'1.
Sam said on 21/Mar/14
Nice on catching up on the great directors. I think David Lean was solidly over six feet...he's not 6'2" as reported on the net, but can seem maybe 6'0.5"-6'1" next to 6'2" Peter O'Toole. Arch, any idea on Michael Powell's height?...he seemed fairly tall as well.
Sam said on 21/Mar/14
Max Schreck is almost impossible because there are practically no photos or films of him standing next to anyone of known height. He seemed lanky but that's not much to go on. He was almost certainly taller than Willem Dafoe though. Same uncertainty goes for his director F.W. Murnau who was reportedly "nearly 7 feet tall"...a few photos with Murnau and crew members show that he was tall but not THAT tall.
Arch Stanton said on 19/Mar/14
Any idea about Max Schreck? He looks really lanky in Nosferatu from 1922 but they have to make him look like a freak. I wouldn't be surprised if he was over 6'3",
Arch Stanton said on 19/Mar/14
Rob/Sam, what about David Lean? He'd be worth adding I think, don't know his height though.
Arch Stanton said on 19/Mar/14
I'm doing what you've done Sam and going through the notable director filmographies gradually. Unfortunately the blocking of several major film websites will make this a lot tougher now. I've only got one more of Lean's to see now.
Sam said on 17/Mar/14
Yes, Lang is great. M is one of my favorite films. I also love Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, Metropolis, Fury and The Big Heat (his best after going to Hollywood I thought). Rancho Notorious might have been even weirder than Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar. From his German years, he was one of the most influential directors of that time, Bunuel might have never gotten into film if not for Lang. Too bad he was such a nasty tyrant that everyone in the industry in both Germany (who wants to be popular then though with so many future Nazis, including his wife at the time) and the U.S. loathed him. He left Germany because he had a Jewish mom although was raised Catholic and Goebbels had his eye on him to direct Nazi propaganda. According to his bio, he was six foot even while fighting for Germany in WWI, but this may have been a "boots on" height.
Arch Stanton said on 16/Mar/14
Do you like Fritz Lang at all Sam? I've been getting into his films lately. Still seems incredible to me that Metropolis is 1927. What a masterpiece of a film! No idea how tall he was though.
Sam said on 13/Mar/14
Yeah, Ray was even more exceptional in height for an Indian man of that generation. I've read elsewhere on the net that he was even 6'5", but here's the official website stating 6'4":
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Rob would you consider adding Kurosawa and/or Ray? I think 5'11"-5'11.5" and 6'4" are good shouts for them.
Arch Stanton said on 13/Mar/14
Yikes, didn't realize Ray was 6'4! A 6'4" guy in India in his generation is like 6'10" today in the UK!
Sam said on 10/Mar/14
I'm sorry, the exact wording of Kurosawa in his book was "almost six feet tall".
Sam said on 10/Mar/14
Kurosawa might be my favorite, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Ran, Yojimbo, Dersu Uzala, I've seen all of his films and love them. Would appreciate his addition, though Kurosawa was taller than Rob's estimate in my opinion. In his autobiography, translated in English, he said he was "just under six feet tall". Also in The Emperor and the Wolf (a biography of Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune), it was stated that Kurosawa, Ishiro Honda (the creator of Godzilla) and a third director friend (whose name escapes me) were called the Three Towers or something because they were all extremely tall for Japanese men. I think he looks a solid 3 inches taller than Toshiro Mifune.
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With Satyajit Ray, who's official website claims 6'4", he looks close to six foot.
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In old age, he might have dipped to around 5'9" or 5'10" with Spielberg and Lucas.
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Arch Stanton said on 6/Mar/14
Rob/Sam any idea on Akira Kurosawa's height? The pics I saw of him he looked pretty tall and long limbed for a Japanese guy. I might be wrong though. He comes close to top of a list of great directors. You know I actually think Ikiru at least in terms of humanism is the greatest film I've ever seen, obviously most of his others are top films too.
Editor Rob
at his peak he definitely would have been in 5ft 9-10 range
Arch Stanton said on 6/Mar/14
Ian C. says on 17/Feb/14
Well, we seemed to have drifted off the topic of Kubrick's height here. Which might have been expected, as he was not a performer, and therefore his height would have been irrelevant to his art, and in fact the arguments on this page quickly turned to the merits or otherwise of his movies. But I enjoy those discussions too, so no complaints from me.

I did say to Rob that it would be good to have a page on Kubrick also as a page for general film discussion and on heights of actors in his films. I'm sure Rob doesn't have a problem with such discussions so long as occasionally somebody talks constructively about Kubrick's height.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Mar/14
Oh yeah definitely, there's some bizarre choices in the book mainly on the avant garde short films. Most I've seen are very good but there are some very questionable inclusions and omissions. The ones which stand out strongest to me are The Kid, Yojimbo, The Killing and Mulholland Drive. I mean how could you not include those top top films in the book!! Perhaps in earlier additions they had them. It gets more restricted each time they republish it they have to cut a few to include new films.

On the height front Kubrock was pretty dumpy looking, I don't think you could really argue 5'7 or taller. Somewhere in the 5'6" range I'm sure is accurate.
Sam said on 24/Feb/14
It's worth the effort for sure, although a few 1001 films confounded me more than engaged or entertained me, I was bored by Andy Warhol's Vinyl despite it's great music, he was more of an artist than a filmmaker. As a straight man in the 21st century, Flaming Creatures is an uncomfortable watch and Daisies (despite the peep-show cover) just bored me. But then there's so many great ones I saw because they're on the list: La Roue, The Hole, The Housemaid, The Sorrow and the Pity, Shoah, Tampopo, Rocco and his Brothers, Hill 24 Doesn't Answer, and (I can't believe I didn't see this before) Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.
Arch Stanton said on 22/Feb/14
Ah you've had the 1001 book for years though Sam I only got it for Christmas! To reach 750 it'll take me over a year, and that's watching at least one of the films in it every day which is unlikely.
Sam said on 18/Feb/14
Back to height for a sec, he does generally look about two inches shorter than McDowell and a similar amount shorter than Cruise when Kubrick was older. He never stood next to Nicholson in Kubrick's daughter's documentary on the making of The Shining, but was a bit shorter than Shelley Duvall when they were sniping at each other a bit. I've still got to see Room 237, BTW.

As I tried to post last week, I love the 1001 Movies book. I made it through about 750+ of them, though family & work is not conducive to it as much recently. Some of my favorite little-known films are on there. Back in my 20s, I tried to get through many of the great auteurs & think I've seen every U.S. available film for Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Welles, Kubrick, Leone, etc...most not but all of Ford (impossible!), Murnau, Bergman, Fellini, Houston, Hawks, Wilder and more recent guys and so on. Another good but old list was when EW published the 50 greatest directors of all time, some fishy inclusions on it, but I've seen a lot of the films by these directors.
Ian C. said on 17/Feb/14
Well, we seemed to have drifted off the topic of Kubrick's height here. Which might have been expected, as he was not a performer, and therefore his height would have been irrelevant to his art, and in fact the arguments on this page quickly turned to the merits or otherwise of his movies. But I enjoy those discussions too, so no complaints from me.
Arch Stanton said on 17/Feb/14
Perhaps Kubrick's ghostly lingering magic blew it away out of disgust at not being listed at 5'8.5!!
Sam said on 17/Feb/14
Rob, I posted later last week...did it vanish in the wind?
Editor Rob
it might have
Arch Stanton said on 15/Feb/14
Well go on then JTM, nobody's stopping you from doing so.
jtm said on 14/Feb/14
can we talk about his height?
Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/14
I believe you. I just loathe people who claims things which are not true and the media widely publish them and before you know it most people think it's fact. I don't know why he would say such things though..
NS said on 11/Feb/14
Arch Stanton,
That is not different at all from what I already said. Trust me. I was curious on this subject and I went digging. Ermey's really the only one who says all that. Everyone else, including Kubrick's family disagrees.

If you wanna differ anyways, you have the freedom to do so. We can agree to disagree.

Anyways, let's keep the discussion on-topic here. Kubrick's height.
Arch Stanton said on 10/Feb/14
Oh Sam there's many many great ones I've haven't mentioned, I said to name but a few...
Arch Stanton said on 10/Feb/14
That's not what I heard NS!! Click Here
NS said on 7/Feb/14
Arch Stanton,
According to Kubrick's close family and friends, Kubrick was very proud of Eyes Wide Shut. And for good reason. The film is his unsung masterpiece, and I expect critical reevaluation over the course of the next few decades. Even films like 2001, Clockwork Orange, and The Shining took several decades of reevaluation to be fully appreciated as much as they deserve. The rumor that he hated the film was started by R. Lee Ermey. And nobody else has backed that up.

This height seems about right for him.
B.Gray said on 7/Feb/14
I read an autobiography about him, it mentions him to be of average height so I figured maybe around 5'8 at his peak. This listing is probably accurate. Rob, how did you come up with 5'6.5? Just curious.
Editor Rob
that's what he looks 5ft 6-6.5 range, I think a few inches shorter than malcolm mcdowell...in his 60's he could look at most 5ft 6.
Sam said on 7/Feb/14
Is that the love-you-long-time girl, Rob? Yeah, he was a perfectionist but I think any modern actor would walk on burning coals to work with Kubrick because every film is a masterwork (and Bale at least has shown he can work w/ demanding but brilliant oddballs like Malick, Herzog and David O. Russell). Among modern directors, David Fincher might make his actor do more takes than Kubrick did (not that he's on the same level). Our tastes are almost exactly the same, Arch, but you left Howard Hawks & Orson Welles off the list? I have to say my top few: Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Scorsese, Kubrick, followed by Welles, Ford, the Coens Brothers, Wilder, Hawks, Bergman, Huston and Fellini.
Editor Rob
yeah she loved me long time...got a few minutes chat with her ;)
Arch Stanton said on 6/Feb/14
Oh yeah, that's true, he was known for being extremely demanding on actors, and was a known perfectionist. I can't imagine somebody like Bale or Crowe tolerating him!! Cruise continued to show him great reverence even after his death and I believe he was the narrator of the documentary on him but I know that Kubrick really wasn't happy with Eyes Wide Shut and he said some quite nasty words about Tom and Nicole. But the fact he put so much thought and consideration into each and every scene paid off in my opinion. Of course there's quite a few directors who have a bag of masterpieces, including Hitchcock, Lean, Powell and Pressburger, Scorsese, Coppola, Fellini, Truffaut, Renoir, Leone, Kurosawa, Ford, Huston, Capra, Cukor, Wilder, Mankiewicz, the Coen Brothers etc whose films I generally rate very highly, but Kubrick for me topped them all.
Arch Stanton said on 5/Feb/14
Seriously though how many directors had such a full bag of gems as Kubrick? Virtually every one of his films was a masterpiece. He wasn't as prolific of course as other great directors like Hitchcock but unlike Kubrick, Hitchcock had a few duds despite having at least ten masterpieces. Quality not quantity is what matters! In the world of cinema Kubrick was my Everest, pretty tall at over 8000 metres :-]
Editor Rob
I don't know if I could have worked with him if I was an actor. I know he was meticulous, but then he did have a string of top notch movies, so his methods paid off. Here was one actress (well a brief career really) I met years ago who was in Full Metal Jacket...
Arch Stanton said on 5/Feb/14
The highest quality celeb edition of the year so far, and probably in some years! Thanks Rob. This guy was a genius, love his films to bits.
2001, Clockwork and The Killing are my favourite Kubrick movies, I've seen them all, even Fear and Desire. I love them all with the exception of Spartacus, and that was more Kirk Douglas's fault!

He looked 5'6" range in the 60s and 70s. With Tom Cruise when he was pushing 7 at the time:

Click Here
Click Here

Comparison varies, I suspect Cruise was wearing lifts in the first one. This would be about right for peak. Definitely not 5'8.5 as I've seen listed for him!

Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films.

Other vital statistics like weight or shoe size measurements have been sourced from newspapers, books, resumes or social media.

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