Wilder was born in Sucha, Galicia, (now in the Ukraine), but raised and educated in Vienna. He attended the University of Vienna for a year where he had wanted to study law. He decided, however, that he preferred writing and obtained a position with Die Stunde. In 1926 he moved to Berlin where he felt the opportunities were greater. There he wrote for the Nachtausgabe newspaper and supplemented his income as a tap dancer. Wilder cooperated in writing screenplays for German language films until 1933.. In 1929 he wrote for Robert Siodmak’s semi-documentary Menschen am Sonntag, as well as scripts for Emil und die Detektive, Ihre Hoheit befiehlt, Siodmak’s Der Mann, der seinen Moerder sucht (all in 1931), Das Blaue vom Himmel, Ein blonder Traum, Scampolo (all in 1932), Was Frauen Traumen, and Madame wuenscht keine Kinder (both in 1933).
In 1933, after the Nazis rose to power in Germany, Wilder, realizing that his Jewish heritage mould be a problem, left for France. While in Paris, he wrote and co-directed Mauvaise Graine. He made his way to the USA via Mexico in 1934. He obtained a contract with Paramount for 1934-35 but this was not too lucrative. During the first four years in the USA he lived in poverty, sharing a room with Peter Lorre, and occasionally having a script accepted. He married Judith Coppicus 1n December 1936. Twins, Victoria and Vincent, were born in 1939 but tragedy came when Vincent died soon after he was born. The marriage to Judith Coppicus ended in divorce in 1946. Wilder and Audrey Young were married in 1949. She had been a singer with the old Tommy Dorsey band. They remained together until his death.
From 1938-50 he collaborated on 14 scripts with Charles Bracket, starting with two Lubitsch comedies, Bluebird’s Eighth Wife (1938) and Ninotchka (1939). Other films included Hold Back the Dawn (1941) and Ball of Fire (1942). In 1942-50 Wilder directed, Brackett produced, and both collaborated on scripts for films, including The Major and The Minor (1942). Five Graves for Cairo and Double Indemnity (both in 1943), and The Lost Weekend (1945) which won the Academy Award for directors and script.
In 1945, during World War II, Wilder was sent to Germany where he served as a colonel in the US Army in the Psychological Warfare Division. Wilder had not seen his parents since his move to Berlin. After the war he remained hi Germany to search for them. He found his mother and grandmother had been killed in concentration camps. After the war he resumed his work in Hollywood. His post war films included The Emperor Walz and A Foreign Affair (both in 1948,) and Sunset Boulevard (1950,) which won an Academy Award for the script. This ended his collaboration with Brackett. In 1950 Wilder became producer, director and co-script writer of his own films, including Ace in the Hole (1951,) Stalag 17 (1953,) Sabrina (1954) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). In 1957 he collaborated with I.A.L. Diamond as co-script writer and director of Buddy Buddy. In 1958 Wilder became a partner in Mirisch Co. Films which included Love in the Afternoon and The Spirit of St. Louis (both 1957,) Witness for the Prosecution (1958,) Some Like it Hot (1959,) The Apartment which won three Academy Awards (1960,) Ferenc Molnar’s One Two, Three (1961,) Irma La Douce (1963,) Kiss me Stupid (1964,) The Fortune Cookie (1966,) The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970,) Avanti (1972,) The Front Page (1974,) and Fedora (1978).
During his entire career, Billy Wilder directed twenty-seven and produced fourteen films from 1934 to 1981.He was the writer or co-writer on over seventy screenplays from 1920 to 1990, more than twenty of which, from 1932 to 1934, were in German or French.
Billy Wilder died of pneumonia in Hollywood on March 27, 2002.