Alfred Hitchcock is one of the greatest film directors of all time. Hell, to many people he is the greatest film director of all time. His films, such as The Birds, Vertigo, Rear Window and Psycho, have stood the test of time and are still discussed, analysed and revered today. But, believe it or not, the great man never won an Academy Award for directing. Only one of his films, Rebecca, won Best Picture. Psycho, commonly regarded as one of the greatest horror films of all time, wasn't even nominated for Best Picture and lost in all four categories that it was nominated in. 'Horror' was a dirty word in 1960 and Hitchcock wasn't fully appreciated as a master craftsman in his own time. Psycho was the last time a Hitchcock film would be nominated for Best Picture. He lost to Billy Wilder's (excellent) The Apartment. While The Apartment was a deserving winner, it's amazing to think that Hitchcock never won an Academy Award, given how his films have since been lionised. The Master of Suspense did receive an honorary Academy Award (The Irving G. Thalberg Award) at the 40th Academy Awards in 1967. The oft-overlooked director took to the stage and simply said "Thank you" before walking off, his point made. Nobody deserved it more, especially after the repeated snubs he had had to endure.
