Alberto Herskovits was an Argentinean film director and screenwriter best known for his work in the Spanish-language films of the 1950s and ‘60s. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on August 7, 1921, and began his career in film as a screenwriter in 1943.
He wrote for numerous Argentinean films and television series before making his directorial debut with the 1952 film Una Historia de Amor. It was a romantic drama and proved to be a critical and commercial success, winning the Silver Condor Award for Best Film.
Herskovits followed this success with the 1955 film La Casa del Ángel, a melodrama about a young woman forced to move in with her wealthy aunt and uncle. It was a major box office hit in Argentina and is considered one of the best films of the decade.
In the late 1950s, Herskovits began to focus on comedy films, which were also popular in Argentina. He directed the 1957 hit Una Mujer, which won the Silver Condor Award for Best Comedy. His later comedies, such as El Extraño Viaje (1966) and El Último Verano de la Boyita (1969), were also well-received.
In addition to his work in Argentina, Herskovits also directed a number of Spanish-language films in Mexico. His best-known Mexican film is the 1960 drama La Rebelión de las Hijas (The Rebellion of the Daughters), which won the Ariel Award for Best Picture.
Throughout his career, Herskovits directed more than 30 films and wrote the scripts for several of them. He was also an accomplished actor and appeared in several of his own films.
Herskovits died in a car accident in 1975 at the age of 54. He is remembered as one of the most influential directors of the Golden Age of Argentinean cinema. Today, his films are considered classics of Spanish-language cinema and are still widely admired.
