Albert Band

Albert Band (May 7, 1924 – June 14, 2002) was an American film director and film producer. He was the son of artist Max Band, father of filmmaker Charles Band and of film composer Richard Band. He is the grandfather of Alex Band and Taryn Band.

Life and career

Band was born in Paris, France, the son of Bertha (Finkelstein) and Max Band, an artist. His family was Jewish. His mother was born in Russia and his father was from Kudirkos Naumiestis, Lithuania. He escaped from Paris to the United States with his family prior to the German Occupation. He graduated from Hollywood High School.

Interested in film, he became an apprentice at Warner Bros. where he developed contacts eventually becoming an assistant director on John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle, then adapting the story The Red Badge of Courage for Huston's film of the same name.

He made his debut as a producer and director in The Young Guns combining the two then popular genres of Westerns and Juvenile Delinquent films. In the late 1950s he moved to Europe producing a variety of films beginning in Sweden with Face of Fire based on another of Stephen Crane's stories, The Monster.