The film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was released in 1962.
Directed by Robert Mulligan, the American drama adapted Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Horton Foote wrote the screenplay, and Gregory Peck starred as Atticus Finch, the Alabama lawyer who defends Tom Robinson while trying to guide his children through the injustice surrounding the case. Mary Badham played Scout Finch.
The movie premiered theatrically on December 25, 1962. Its story is set during the Great Depression, but the production was made in Hollywood rather than in Lee’s hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. The Old Monroe County Courthouse was used as a model for the recreated courthouse set, which helped give the film its convincing local atmosphere.
The adaptation became one of the most respected American films of its era. Gregory Peck won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the film also received Oscars for its screenplay and art direction. A common mix-up is confusing the novel’s 1960 publication date with the film’s 1962 release date; the two-year gap reflects the transition from book to screen.