Biography
Sam Spiegel (also credited as S.P. Eagle) was an American independent film producer. Born Samuel P. Spiegel on 11 November 1901 in Jarosław, then in Austrian Poland, he studied at the University of Vienna and later worked in the film industry in Europe before emigrating to the United States.
Spiegel produced several acclaimed films, including On the Waterfront (1954), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Each won the Academy Award for Best Picture, making him the first sole independent producer to achieve this. He also produced The African Queen (1951) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). He received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1963.
He resumed using his real name after On the Waterfront. Spiegel died on 31 December 1985 in Saint Martin.
