Dalton Trumbo

Dalton Trumbo

Deceased · Born: Dec 9, 1905 · Died: Sep 10, 1976

Personal Details

BornDec 9, 1905 Montrose, Colorado, USA
Parents
  • Maud Trumbo
  • Orus Bonham Trumbo

Biography

Here is the biography of Dalton Trumbo:

Dalton Trumbo, the Oscar-winning screenwriter, was born in Montrose, Colorado, to Orus Trumbo and his wife, Maud Tillery. He was raised in Grand Junction, Colorado, where his father worked in a shoe store. Trumbo was the first child and only son, and he had two sisters, Catharine and Elizabeth.

Trumbo's early life was marked by a love of writing and a desire to make a difference. He worked as a cub reporter for The Daily Sentinel while attending Grand Junction High School, and he also wrote for the school's newspaper, humor magazine, and yearbook.

After leaving high school, Trumbo attended the University of Southern California, but he was unable to complete enough credits for a degree. He took a job at the Davis Perfection Bakery, where he worked for nearly a decade, but he continued to write in his spare time.

Trumbo's big break came in 1934, when he was hired as a reader by Warner Bros. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a junior screenwriter and later a full-fledged member of the Screen Writers Guild. He wrote screenplays for many major studios, including Columbia, Paramount, and MGM.

Trumbo was a strong supporter of the American Communist Party, and he was a vocal critic of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). In 1947, he was one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of screenwriters who refused to cooperate with HUAC and were subsequently blacklisted.

Trumbo continued to write screenplays under pseudonyms, and he became known as a master of the thriller and adventure genres. He won two Academy Awards for his work on Roman Holiday (1953) and The Brave One (1956).

Trumbo's personal life was marked by his love of his wife, Cleo Fincher, and his children, Nikolai, Christopher, and Mitzi. He was a heavy smoker and developed lung cancer in the 1970s.

Trumbo died on September 10, 1976, but his legacy lived on. In 1975, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded him a belated Oscar for his work on The Brave One (1956). In 1993, the Academy posthumously awarded him an Oscar for Roman Holiday (1953).

Trumbo's life was marked by his passion for writing, his commitment to his principles, and his enduring impact on the film industry. He remains one of the most important and influential screenwriters in American history.

Career

1973
Papillon
Papillon as Commandant (uncredited)
1971
1951
The Prowler
The Prowler as John Gilvray's Voice (voice) (uncredited)
2008
1973
Papillon
Papillon as Screenplay
Executive Action
Executive Action as Screenplay
1972
FTA
FTA as Writer
1971
The Horsemen
The Horsemen as Screenplay
1968
The Fixer
The Fixer as Screenplay
1966
Hawaii
Hawaii as Screenplay
1965
The Sandpiper
The Sandpiper as Screenplay
1962
1961
The Last Sunset
The Last Sunset as Screenplay
1960
Spartacus
Spartacus as Screenplay
Exodus
Exodus as Screenplay
1959
Career
Career as Writer
1958
Cowboy
Cowboy as Screenplay
1957
The Brothers Rico
The Brothers Rico as Screenplay
The Deerslayer
The Deerslayer as Screenplay
1956
The Brave One
The Brave One as Screenplay, Story
1953
Roman Holiday
Roman Holiday as Story, Screenplay
1951
The Prowler
The Prowler as Screenplay
1950
Gun Crazy
Gun Crazy as Screenplay
Jealousy
Jealousy as Story
1944
1943
A Guy Named Joe
A Guy Named Joe as Screenplay
1941
Kitty Foyle
Kitty Foyle as Screenplay
Curtain Call
Curtain Call as Screenplay
We Who Are Young
We Who Are Young as Screenplay
1939
Five Came Back
Five Came Back as Screenplay
Sorority House
Sorority House as Screenplay
1938
A Man to Remember
A Man to Remember as Screenplay
1971
Johnny Got His Gun
Johnny Got His Gun as Director, Screenplay