Billy Wilder’s older brother, also a film director, used the professional name W. Lee Wilder.
Born Wilhelm Wilder, he was also known as William Wilder and Willy Wilder before working in Hollywood as W. Lee Wilder. He was older than Billy Wilder and followed his younger brother into filmmaking after first establishing himself in business in New York.
W. Lee Wilder produced The Great Flamarion in 1945 and directed The Glass Alibi in 1946. He became particularly associated with low-budget film noir, science fiction and horror productions, including The Pretender, Phantom from Space, Killers from Space and The Snow Creature. His career was separate from Billy’s, even though both brothers worked in American cinema.
The name can be overlooked because Billy Wilder’s fame dominates discussions of the family. The alternatives are unrelated or refer to other Hollywood figures: Ernst Lubitsch was a celebrated director who collaborated with Billy, Charles Brackett was Billy’s longtime screenwriting partner, and William Wyler was another prominent director.