Alfred Hitchcock made films.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock ( 13 August 1899 -- 29 April 1980 ) was an English film director and producer , at times referred to as `` The Master of Suspense '' . He had a successful career in British cinema with both silent films and early talkies and became renowned as England 's best director . Hitchcock became a highly visible public figure through interviews , movie trailers , cameo appearances in his own films , and the ten years in which he hosted the television programme Alfred Hitchcock Presents ( 1955 -- 1965 ) . Thriller film , also known as suspense film or suspense thriller , is a film genre that falls under the general thriller genre .