CineQuiz

Frederick Wiseman

Frederick Wiseman is known for A Private Life (2025), Other People's Children (2022), Titicut Follies (1967).

Biography

Frederick Wiseman (January 1, 1930 — February 16, 2026) was an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theatre director. As a documentarian, Wiseman has been noted for his ability to capture the nuances of life in American institutions such as prisons, hospitals, welfare offices, and high schools. He started out in 1963 by producing a narrative feature, The Cool World, an examination of the lives of Harlem teenagers. In the beginning, Wiseman was a staunch social reformist, and his films were calls for change.

Titicut Follies, his first documentary, is an exposé of life in a prison for the criminally insane in Bridgewater, MA. It was controversial and left Wiseman with the reputation of being a muckraker. His four subsequent documentaries were all exposés of other tax-supported institutions designed to show the ineffectiveness of the bureaucracy that not only threatens to destroy them, but also dehumanizes the people they were meant to serve. Wiseman toned down his message and began focusing more on American culture to point out the symbolism of daily activities in his film Primate (1974).

Questions about Frederick Wiseman

How many Frederick Wiseman films are in the catalogue?

The CineQuiz catalogue has 44 films with Frederick Wiseman, from 1964 to 2026.

What is the best rated Frederick Wiseman film?

The best rated Frederick Wiseman film in the catalogue is Titicut Follies (1967), rated 7.3.

What was the first Frederick Wiseman film?

The first Frederick Wiseman film in the catalogue is Titicut Follies, from 1967.

Who has Frederick Wiseman worked with the most?

In the catalogue, Frederick Wiseman shares the most credits with Anne Berest (2 films), Frédéric Jouve (2 films) and Georges Lechaptois (2 films).

People data: TMDb.

AWARDS 7 Wins 0 Nominations

Known for

Coming up

Trivia

Also works as
film director · film producer · screenwriter · university teacher · film editor · documentarian · director
Studied at
Williams College · Yale Law School · Rivers School
Notable works
La Danse · Ex Libris: The New York Public Library · City Hall
Spouse
Zipporah B. Wiseman

Trivia from Wikidata, licensed CC0.

Full filmography

45 films — 44 in the catalogue

People data: TMDb.

Cast