F. W. Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm “F. W.” Murnau (December 28, 1888 – March 11, 1931) was one of the most influential German film directors of the silent era, and a prominent figure in the expressionist movement in German cinema during the 1920s. Although some of Murnau’s films have been lost, most still survive. While the horror film Nosferatu (1922) is his most famous work, the romantic melodrama Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) is his critically most acclaimed; the British Film Institute's 2012 Sight & Sound critics' poll named it the fifth-best film in the history of motion pictures. Murnau's characteristics are an atmospheric imagery and an innovative use of camera movement. Andrew Sarris in his influential book of film criticism The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968 included him in the "pantheon" of the 14 greatest film directors who had worked in the United States.
Known for
DirectingBirthday
December 28, 1888Deathday
March 11, 1931Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
30Place of birth
Bielefeld, North-Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyAlso known as
Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, 프리드리히 빌헬름 무르나우, F.W. 무르나우, 프리드리히 무르나우![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ulUA4GiMNFcVDTyQZ5b6Samri72.jpg)
Cast credits
Crew credits
![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/oj8ZW8jKXBSs8F1e5iWsTUeXSJW.jpg)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/zv7J85D8CC9qYagAEhPM63CIG6j.jpg)
Nosferatu
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/c4zfawkB8Jsp5lhWl62QCzczR3M.jpg)
Tabu
Screenplay, Producer, Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/QomFFEz7FN5plcSmEhAGT2OdGL.jpg)
The Head of Janus
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/rN703hMFxmkZfyEzsXvFtuFhkXE.jpg)
Faust
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/7Y6Dxr3oYt1w7ew70YNdLLDYEjk.jpg)
The Last Laugh
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/2RVBw22FqD9myoGTcGIOgJnWorq.jpg)
Desire
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/7FK7XuRQhKHmN3MKHkelQxiuQWy.jpg)
The Haunted Castle
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/n8JVKTh559QSEGS4hcJSg9j9LJc.jpg)
City Girl
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/pnvXPrxyj6PPTLLzHrpIKVaq060.jpg)
Phantom
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/vcy9WTpi4LSLjcxGLyW0GHm71RE.jpg)
The Finances of the Grand Duke
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/lORHdoWSl3e1MnranH9SsFvvfdq.jpg)
The Burning Soil
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/xRin1lHzsK8s8EMfT54wgxiD61H.jpg)
Tartuffe
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/7G71ryJRJbu8bC6oixxzC87BMz0.jpg)
4 Devils
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/p8YTVpLBJsJAUro6f42gvxig8Um.jpg)
Journey into the Night
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/9c3m3GvOSomNKWWhJTBudT5Iwq2.jpg)
Marizza
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/7IN3GiMkHnLUkVMIswDKZ3Yy52p.jpg)
Emerald of Death
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/hWJvGG6QU2ouIfaWtAggC0tW832.jpg)
The Hunchback and the Dancer
Director![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/8g476kILGSEUnaIkdCnzgIsejCj.jpg)
Comedy of the Heart
Writer![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/vgaExSsDpelntdeu89zslZ693fu.jpg)
Satanas
Director