Family Tree Tuesday – John Huston

John Huston

John Huston was a film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote screenplays and directed films which are considered classics such as The Maltese Falcon (1941),  The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Key Largo (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), The Misfits (1961), and The Man Who Would Be King (1975). Most of Huston’s films were adaptions of novels that often depicted a “heroic quest” as in Moby Dick or The Red Badge of Courage.

John Huston was born on August 5, 1906 in Nevada, Missouri to Walter and Rhea (Gore) Huston. Walter and Reah divorced in 1913 and as a result John spent his childhood living in boarding schools, but would travel with each of his parents separately during summer vacations. Walter Huston was born in Toronto, Ontario and of Scottish and Irish descent. He began as a vaudeville actor and later a stage and screen actor. He was directed by his son, John in the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Anjelica Huston

John married five times and with his fourth wife Enrica Soma he had actress Angelica Huston and Walter “Tony” Huston. Although Soma’s daughter writer and editor Allegra Huston was not John’s biological daughter, he treated her one of his own. He had another son, actor and director Danny Huston with Zoe Sallis.

Huston’s grandson, Jack Huston also became an actor best known for his role on Boardwalk Empire as Richard Harrow. Jack’s parents are Walter “Tony” Huston and Lady Margot Lavinia Cholmondeley.

Did you know three generations of Huston’s won Academy Awards? Walter Huston won for Best Supporting Actor for the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, John Huston won for Best Director for the same film making them the first father and son to win at the same ceremony; and Anjelica Huston won for Best Supporting Actress for the film Prizzi’s Honor.

Check out John Huston’s family tree and see how you may be related!