This Alfred Hitchcock biography will give you a greater appreciation of his work. Whether you’re a film student or just a movie buff, you’ll find Hitchcock’s life story as interesting as his movie career.

Early Years
Alfred Hitchcock was born in 1899 in London, England. He was the youngest of three children. His parents were rather strict; once when Hitchcock misbehaved at age five, his father hauled him down to the police station and had him locked in a cell for a short period of time to teach him a lesson. It is rumored Hitchcock’s father did this more than once; the family had very strong convictions about teaching right from wrong.

Hitchcock attended Saint Ignatius College, a strict school that focused a good deal of attention on morality and adherence to a very strict code of conduct. Through these experiences, Hitchcock developed an interest in the subjects of guilt about genuine misdoings, and the agony of being unjustly accused of a crime, two themes that are repeated over and over in his film career. Guilt, either genuine or mistaken, is at the heart of most of Hitchcock’s movies.

Family Relationships
Hitchcock’s father died when he was 14. Hitchcock’s relationship with his mother has been the subject of much debate; it has been suggested that Hitchcock pulled upon his experiences with his own mother for inspiration when filling in the details of Norman Bates’ life in Psycho. Hitchcock’s mother supposedly forced him to stand at the foot of her bed and listen to her lecture him whenever he misbehaved, an experience that led him to explore the relationship between shame and punishment.

College and Early Career
Hitchcock attended the University of London, where he studied electrical engineering. He later became a draughtsman for a cable company. Hitchcock’s first love remained the cinema; he quickly landed a job as a title-card designer for what later became Paramount Pictures. At the time, the studio was called Paramount’s Famous Players-Lasky Company.

Hitchcock began his career in film as a title-card writer for silent films. As he worked, he learned about scripting, editing and directing. He worked his way up the ladder, and within five years, he was trusted with his first silent film, The Pleasure Garden, in 1923. From that point on, Hitchcock was a film director. 

Mrs. Hitchcock
Hitchcock married his assistant director, Alma Redville, in 1926. Hitchcock’s wife was his main collaborator on his films; she even wrote several of his screenplays. Alfred and Alma had one child together, named Patricia. Patricia appears in the first seven minutes of Psycho as one of Janet Leigh's coworkers. Hitchcock himself appears in this scene, wearing a Stetson hat, continuing his tradition of quick cameos in his movies.

Hitchcock’s films became the signature thriller movies from the 1930’s through the 1970’s. Some of his most famous films are Psycho, Rear Window, North by Northwest, The Birds and The Man Who Knew Too Much.