Three generations of one talented Hollywood family have managed to win Oscars in four different categories. In 1948 John Huston won Academy Awards for writing the screenplay and directing The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, a film in which his father, Walter, won the Oscar for best supporting actor. Thirty-seven years later, John Huston got his fourteenth Academy Award nomination for directing Prizzi's Honor, a film in which his daughter Angelica won the Oscar for best supporting actress. Apparently one of the best ways to win an Oscar is to be a Houston

John Huston was born on August5, 1906 in the little town of Nevada, Missouri. The first film he directed, The Maltese Falcon (1941), was marked by a dark, brooding atmosphere that characterized many of his later films as well. Among his other hits were Key Largo (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), and Moby Dick (1956).

Unfortunately, John Huston's professional success was not matched in his personal life. He was married five times and lived the life of an expatriate for years in Mexico. In 1964 he renounced his American citizenship and became a citizen of Ireland. He also had severe health problems, dying of emphysema in 1987. He once said there were lots of things about his life that he would do differently, if he had the chance: "I would spend more time with my children. I would make my money before spending it. I would learn the joys of wine instead of hard liquor. I would not smoke cigarettes when I had pneumonia. I would not marry the fifth time."

Most critics would agree that John Huston's greatest film was The African Queen (1951), that heartwarming epic starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. For his portrayal of the grizzled old skipper Charlie Allnut, Bogie won an Academy Award for best actor. Who can forget that gripping scene when Charlie finds himself covered with leeches? To achieve the proper effect, Huston had Bogie covered with plastic leeches. He also collected several jars full of real, live leeches. "You're not going to use them on me, are you?" Bogie asked, horrified. Then, just before the cameras started to roll, Huston dumped all the leeches into the river, smiled at Bogie, and gave his reply: "Why not? I want you to win an Oscar."

Something More ... Rent a video of one of the many John Huston films. Read his autobiography, An Open Book (1980). For a comprehensive look at the Oscars, read Daniel Cohen, History of the Oscars (1986).