$5M gift to build The Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum

Audrey L. Wilder, widow of celebrated writer-director Billy Wilder, has given the UCLA Hammer Museum $5 million to build The Billy Wilder Theater, which will become the new home of the UCLA Film and Television Archive's public screenings.

The 288-stadium seat theater, the centerpiece of the museum's $25-million renovation plan, will have the versatility to accommodate early film technology as well as digital video and film presentation and satellite communication.

"We deeply appreciate the Wilder gift and its significant contribution to the Hammer Museum's building project," said Chancellor Albert Carnesale. "The gift will enable two of UCLA's great public-arts venues to present world-class programs in a state-of-the-art facility. This exciting partnership between the Hammer Museum and the UCLA Film and Television Archive will enhance the university's enduring connections with our Westwood neighbors and the broader community."

"This gift to the UCLA Hammer Museum," noted Audrey Wilder, "reflects Billy's passion for film and art, and his dedication to supporting and encouraging artists of all kinds. I think he would be thrilled to have his name on this theater and to see the neighborhood truly come to life."

Billy Wilder left behind an unparalleled cinematic legacy after he died in March 2002. After fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s, he became one of the most highly regarded writer-directors in postwar Hollywood, honored with six Academy Awards and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Among the 20-plus films he co-wrote or directed are such classics as "Double Indemnity" and "Sunset Boulevard." He also had a passion for paintings and drawings and, over a half century, built a major collection of Impressionist and Modern art, including works by Picasso, Klee and Miró.

The Wilder gift significantly advances the museum's capital campaign, leaving less than $10 million to be raised before the entire renovation project can begin. Construction on the theater, a stand-alone phase of the project, is slated to begin next year.