About Jerome Hill
Lived 1905 – 1972 (aged 67). Jerome Hill was an American film director, painter, actor, screenwriter, film editor and cinematographer, known for Albert Schweitzer (film) and Film Portrait.
James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his documentary and experimental films, one of which won him an Academy Award.
Career Hill was the child of railroad executive Louis W. Hill.
He was educated at Yale, where he drew covers, caricatures and cartoons for campus humor magazine The Yale Record.
His 1950 documentary Grandma Moses, written and narrated by Archibald MacLeish, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Two-reel. He won the 1958 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Albert Schweitzer.
In addition to making films, he was a painter and composer. Among the projects the foundation funds is the American Composers Forum's Jerome Fund for New Music, which supports the creation of new works of music with grants to composers.
Hill also founded the Camargo Foundation in 1967, which administers a residency program for artists and scholars in Cassis, France.
Filmography (as director)
1932 La cartomancienne 1937 Ski Flight, featuring Otto Lang 1950 Grandma Moses, written and narrated by Archibald MacLeish 1950 Cassis 1957 Albert Schweitzer, won Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature 1961 The Sand Castle with Mabel Mercer 1964 Open the Door and see all the People 1965 Magic Umbrella 1966 Death in the Forenoon 1968 The Artist's Friend 1969 Canaries 1969 Merry Christmas 1972 Film Portrait, added to the National Film Registry in 2003 1991 Carl G. Jung or Lapis Philosophorum (material from an abandoned project, shot 1950, edited and published by Jonas Mekas)
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Important facts
People in Jerome Hill's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jerome Hill's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jerome Hill?
American film director (1905–1972)
When was Jerome Hill born?
Jerome Hill was born on 2 March 1905 in Saint Paul.
When did Jerome Hill die?
Jerome Hill died on 21 November 1972 in New York City.
What was Jerome Hill's occupation?
Jerome Hill was a film director, painter, actor, screenwriter, film editor and cinematographer.
What was Jerome Hill known for?
Jerome Hill was known for Albert Schweitzer (film) and Film Portrait.
What nationality was Jerome Hill?
Jerome Hill was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jerome Hill. https://biography.guide/jerome-hill/
MLA: "Jerome Hill." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jerome-hill/.
Chicago: "Jerome Hill." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jerome-hill/.
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