Who in the 1930s was the renowned film director to win three Oscars for Best Director within a 5 year period?

In the nineteen-thirties, Frank Capra won three Academy Awards (Oscars) in the Best Director category, for It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can't Take It with You. He won in the years 1934, 1936 and 1938.

During the Great Depression, Frank Capra became America's preeminent filmmaker. It was said that with his irrepressible optimism he saw everyone who was living in the world as someone who could triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds. Film experts said that he used this kind of optimism in his films.

With a career that covered the years 1922 to 1964, he celebrated patriotism, idealism and small town American values. Capra's strength as a filmmaker marked him a true giant during Hollywood's Golden Age. He died of heart failure at the age of 94 on September 3, 1991 in La Quinta, California.