Lumet, Sidney (1924- )

US film director. His films are concerned with social issues, and he evoked powerful performances from his actors in, for example, 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976), Running on Empty (1988), and Q & A (1990).

A prolific and extremely talented film-maker, Lumet has demonstrated an ability to work across a variety of genres. His films are unified by a group of recurring themes such as highlighting social injustice, exploring how the individual is conditioned by interaction with family and friends, and warning of the dangers of our technological dehumanization.

Lumet's other films include Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962), The Pawnbroker (1965), Serpico (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and Prince of the City (1981). He published Making Movies, an eloquently engaging insider's view of the film-making crafts, in 1995.