He died suddenly in 1954, only a week after completing his last film as
a director, Day of Triumph (1954).
A close friend of playwright George S. Kaufman, Pichel also convinced veteran
character actor Charles Lane to give acting a try. Together they went to Los
Angeles and studied at the Pasadena Playhouse.
He openly supported Joseph Stalin, despite the Soviet dictator's anti-Semitic policies.