William Wyler (1902-1981) was born in Mulhouse, Alsace (then part of Germany), and arrived in Hollywood in the early 1920s to begin his film career as a propman. Working his way up in the industry, he made his directing debut with Crook Buster (1925). Wyler established his reputation as an outstanding filmmaker with his first film for producer Samuel Goldwyn, These Three (1936), adapted from the Lillian Hellman play The Children's Hour. Twenty-six years later, Wyler directed a remake under the original title, The Children's Hour (1961), which restored the lesbian angle to a story about how vicious gossip can ruin lives.

Always an expert handler of actors, Wyler developed a special rapport with Bette Davis in a number of films beginning with Jezebel (1938), which brought Davis an Oscar. Wyler was credited with turning Laurence Olivier from a matinee idol of the stage into a film actor in Wuthering Heights (1939), which brought the director one of his 12 Oscar nominations. Wyler won the award itself for Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Ben-Hur (1959), all of which also won as Best Picture.

Other successes of Wyler's later career include the rousing Western epic, The Big Country (1958), which brought an Oscar to Burl Ives; and the musical Funny Girl (1968), which did the same for Barbra Streisand. Wyler holds the record for directing Oscar-winning performances; among others who won under his guidance were Greer Garson, Fredric March, Harold Russell, Olivia de Havilland, Audrey Hepburn, Charlton Heston and Hugh Griffith.

The films in TCM's tribute to William Wyler are These Three (1936), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Big Country (1958), Ben-Hur (1959) and The Children's Hour (1961).