James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his award-winning documentary and experimental films, one of which won him an Academy Award.

Jerome Hill
Born
James Jerome Hill II

(1905-03-02)March 2, 1905
DiedNovember 21, 1972(1972-11-21) (aged 67)
New York City, U.S.
EducationYale University
Occupation(s)Painter, composer, director, writer, producer
Known forSki Flight (1937)
Grandma Moses (1950)
Albert Schweitzer (1957)
Film Portrait (1972)
Parent(s)Louis W. Hill, Maud Van Cortlandt Taylor
RelativesJames J. Hill (grandfather)
(siblings)
Awards1957 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature[1]

Career

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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.[2]

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.[3]

In addition to making films, he was a painter and composer.[2]

His last film, the autobiographical Film Portrait (1972), was added to the National Film Registry in 2003.

Philanthropy

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Hill founded the Jerome Foundation, which gives grants to non-profit arts organizations and artists in Minnesota and New York City. Hill started it as the Avon Foundation in 1964, but after his death it was renamed the Jerome Foundation.[4] 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.[5]

Hill also founded the Camargo Foundation in 1967, which administers an artists residency in Cassis, France.[2]

Personal life

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Hill was a stakeholder in Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. He had a chalet built at Sugar Bowl and, while living there, paid for and operated "The Magic Carpet", the first aerial tramway on the west coast.[6][7]

Filmography (as director)

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References

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  1. ^ "The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Caws, Mary Ann (2005). "Jerome Hill". camargofoundation.org. Cassis, France: Camargo Foundation. Web. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  3. ^ Rud, A.G. (December 15, 2010). Albert Schweitzer's Legacy for Education: Reverence for Life. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 108.
  4. ^ "Founder: J. Jerome Hill". Jerome Foundation.
  5. ^ "Jerome Fund for New Music". American Composters Forum. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  6. ^ Wernick, Robert (November 23, 1959). "West To The Sierra". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  7. ^ Frohlich, Robert; S.E. Humphries (1999). Skiing with Style: Sugar Bowl 60 Years. Truckee, California: Coldstream Press. pp. Page 2. ISBN 1-893057-01-1. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08.
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