---
name: "Shirley Clarke"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/shirley-clarke"
fi1m_id: "shirley-clarke"
imdb_id: "nm0164999"
tmdb_id: 227525
wikidata_id: "Q774517"
roles: ["Editor","Director"]
born: "2 October 1919"
died: "23 September 1997"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 0
updated: "2026-09-26T15:19:22.616583+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Shirley Clarke

## Identity

Shirley Clarke

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/shirley-clarke
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** shirley-clarke
- **IMDb ID:** nm0164999
- **TMDB ID:** 227525
- **Wikidata ID:** Q774517
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Clarke, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q774517, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0164999/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/227525

Editor and director. Born 2 October 1919 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 23 September 1997.

## Details

- **Work:** Editor, Director
- **Born:** 2 October 1919, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 23 September 1997
- **Also known as:** Shirley Brimberg, 셜리 클라크
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Clarke, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q774517, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0164999/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/227525

## Biography

Shirley Clarke (also credited as Shirley Brimberg) was an American filmmaker. Born in New York City in 1919, she died in Boston in 1997. She trained as a dancer before turning to film in the early 1950s.

Clarke directed, wrote the screenplay for and edited the feature *The Cool World* (1963). She is also known for directing *The Connection* (1961) and *Portrait of Jason* (1967). Her work often explored the boundaries between documentary and fiction.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, bfi.org.uk, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Cool World* (1964), Fi1m 84, Director, Writer, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/the-cool-world.md)

## Complete filmography (54)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Rose and the Players – Part 1* (2016), Director
- *Fear Flight* (2016), Director
- *A Short Lecture and Demonstration on the Evolution of Ragtime as Presented by Jelly Roll Morton* (2016), Director
- *Rose and the Players – Part 2* (2016), Director
- *Home Movies #20: Dance Tests* (2016), Director
- *Decroux Film* (2016), Director
- *Outtakes for 'In Paris Parks'* (2016), Director
- *This Is Not 'In Paris Parks'* (2016), Director
- *Bullfight: The C and D Rolls* (2016), Director
- *Alien Blood* (1999), as second alien mother / MIB soldier
- *Ornette: Made in America* (1986), Director, Editor
- *As Kineastas* (1986), Actor
- *Ornette Coleman: A Jazz Video Game* (1984), Director
- *Tongues* (1982), Director, Editor
- *Savage/Love* (1981), Director
- *A Visual Diary* (1980), Director
- *The Beats: An Existential Comedy* (1980), Actor
- *The Modnar Machine* (1980), Actor
- *Four Journeys Into Mystic Time: One Two Three* (1978), Director
- *Four Journeys Into Mystic Time: Trans* (1978), Director
- *Four Journeys Into Mystic Time: Initiation* (1978), Director
- *Four Journeys Into Mystic Time: Mysterium* (1978), Director
- *24 Frames per Second* (1977), Director
- *Carl Lee on Joe Franklin Show* (1973), Director
- *Morris at Ornette's Art Show* (1972), Director
- *Yoko and John Party* (1971), Director
- *Makeup Magic* (1971), Director
- *Ricky Leacock Visit, evening, April 19, 1971* (1971), Director
- *Ricky Leacock Visit, daytime, April 19, 1971* (1971), Director
- *Ricky Leacock Visit, April 17, 1971* (1971), Director
- *Ricky Leacock Visit, April 15, 1971* (1971), Director
- *The Arrest* (1971), Director
- *Rome Is Burning: Portrait of Shirley Clarke* (1970), as Shirley Clarke
- *Lions Love* (1969), as Shirley
- *Carl Lee, Max and Friends at the Hotel Chelsea* (1968), Director
- *Portrait of Jason* (1967), Director, Editor, Producer
- *Butterfly* (1967), Director
- *For Life, Against the War* (1967), Director
- *Bill's Hat* (1967), Actor
- *The Cool World* (1964), Director, Writer, Editor — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-cool-world.md)
- *Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World* (1963), Director
- *The Connection* (1962), Director, Editor
- *A Scary Time* (1960), Director
- *Christopher and Me* (1960), Dialogue
- *Skyscraper* (1959), Director, Editor, Producer
- *Bridges-Go-Round 1* (1958), Director, Director of Photography, Producer
- *Bridges-Go-Round 2* (1958), Director, Producer, Cinematography
- *Brussels Loops* (1958), Director
- *A Moment in Love* (1956), Director, Editor, Camera Operator
- *Bullfight* (1955), Director, Camera Operator, Editor
- *In Paris Parks* (1954), Director
- *Dance in the Sun* (1953), Director, Editor
- *Home Movies #15 Shirley with Camera* (1950), Director
- *The Tee Pee Video Space Troupe: The First Years*, Director

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1960: Best Live Action Short Film (nominated), for *Skyscraper*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Maya Deren Award 1989: Maya Deren Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/shirley-clarke