In reality, Stroud was only allowed to keep birds while he was at Leavenworth Prison. By the time he was transferred to Alcatraz in 1942, he was forbidden from keeping any pets.

The film portrays Stroud as a quiet, redeemed intellectual. Historical records and prison psychiatrists, however, often described the real Stroud as a dangerous and unrepentant sociopath with an I.Q. of 112.

Burt Lancaster received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and the film earned three other Oscar nominations. Fact vs. Fiction

While the movie is a powerful "civil commitment" film that critiques the inhumane prison system of the time, it took significant creative liberties with the actual history of Robert Stroud.

(1962), released in English as Birdman of Alcatraz , is a classic American biographical drama directed by John Frankenheimer. The film stars Burt Lancaster in one of his most iconic roles as Robert Stroud, a real-life prisoner who became a world-renowned ornithologist while serving a life sentence. Movie Overview