Josef von Sternberg

Austrian-born American film director, born Jonas Sternberg in 1894. One of the great visual stylists of the cinema, he was a master of light, shadow, and atmosphere. His collaboration with Marlene Dietrich produced seven films, beginning with The Blue Angel (1930), which made her an international star, and continuing in Hollywood with Morocco (1930), Shanghai Express (1932), and others. His earlier silent films include Underworld (1927) and The Docks of New York (1928). He died in 1969.