Aug 13, 2026

Surprising facts about Alfred Hitchcock you never knew

Aanya Mehta

He Appeared in Nearly All His Films

Hitchcock made cameo appearances in around 40 of his movies. These brief appearances became so popular that audiences started actively looking for him on screen.

Source: wikimedia commons

He Loved Elaborate Practical Jokes

Hitchcock was notorious for playing pranks on friends and colleagues. His jokes ranged from harmless gags to elaborate stunts that became legendary in Hollywood.

Source: wikimedia commons

He Helped Document Nazi Atrocities

In 1945, Hitchcock assisted with a documentary project using footage from liberated Nazi concentration camps. The film aimed to preserve evidence of the horrors witnessed during World War II.

Source: wikimedia commons

He never Won a Competitive Best Director Oscar

Despite directing classics such as Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo, Hitchcock never won the Academy Award for Best Director. He eventually received an honorary Oscar for his extraordinary contribution to cinema.

Source: wikimedia commons

He Was Terrified of Eggs

The "Master of Suspense" had an unusual phobia: eggs. Hitchcock once said he found egg yolks more disturbing than blood and claimed he had never tasted an egg in his life.

Source: wikimedia commons

He Went to Extraordinary Lengths for Psycho

To keep the ending of Psycho secret, Hitchcock reportedly bought copies of the novel, barred advance screenings, and required cast and crew members to avoid revealing plot details.

Source: wikimedia commons

A Childhood Incident Left Him Afraid of Police

When he was a young boy, Hitchcock's father reportedly sent him to a police station with a note. An officer briefly locked him in a cell as punishment, leaving him with a lifelong fear of the police.

Source: wikimedia commons

One of His Films Has Vanished

Hitchcock's 1926 silent film The Mountain Eagle is considered one of cinema's most sought after lost movies. No known copy survives today.

Source: wikimedia commons

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