the maltese falcon is a 1941 american mystery movie directed by first time director john huston and is the third adaption of the 1930 novel of the same name by dashiell hammett. it stars humphrey bogart, mary astor, gladys george, peter lorre, barton maclaine, lee patrick, sydney greenstreet, ward bond, jerome cowan and was distributed by warner bros.. it was nominated for three academy awards in 1942.