Samuel Fuller

Directing·Aug 12, 1912·Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

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Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American screenwriter, novelist and film director known for low-budget genre movies with controversial themes. He was born Samuel Michael Fuller in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin Rabinovitch, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, and Rebecca Baum, a Jewish immigrant from Poland. After immigrating to America, the family's surname was changed from Rabinovitch to "Fuller" possibly by inspiration of a Doctor who arrived in America on the Mayflower. At the age of 12, he began working in journalism as a newspaper copyboy. He became a crime reporter in New York City at age 17, working for the New York Evening Graphic. He broke the story of Jeanne Eagels' death. He wrote pulp novels and screenplays from the mid-1930s onwards. Fuller also became a screenplay ghostwriter but would never tell interviewers which screenplays that he ghost-wrote explaining "that's what a ghost writer is for". During World War II, Fuller joined the United States Army infantry. He was assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and saw heavy fighting. He was involved in landings in Africa, Sicily, and Normandy and also saw action in Belgium and Czechoslovakia. In 1945 he was present at the liberation of the German concentration camp at Falkenau and shot 16 mm footage which was used later in the documentary Falkenau: The Impossible. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart. Fuller used his wartime experiences as material in his films, especially in The Big Red One (1980), a nickname of the 1st Infantry Division. After his controversial film "White Dog" was shelved by Paramount pictures, Fuller moved to France, and never directed another American film. Fuller eventually returned to America. He died of natural causes in his California home. In November 1997, the Directors Guild held a three hour memorial in his honor, hosted by Curtis Hanson, his long time friend and co-writer on White Dog. He was survived by his wife Christa and daughter Samantha.

Film	Credit
The Big Red One: The Reconstruction2005 · War Correspondent (uncredited), Director, Writer	War Correspondent (uncredited), Director, Writer
The Madonna and the Dragon1990 · Chef de bureau Newsweek, Director, Screenplay	Chef de bureau Newsweek, Director, Screenplay
The Day of Reckoning1990 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Street of No Return1989 · Police Commissioner, Director, Screenplay	Police Commissioner, Director, Screenplay
Thieves After Dark1984 · Zoltan, Writer, Director	Zoltan, Writer, Director
White Dog1982 · Charlie Felton, Screenplay, Director	Charlie Felton, Screenplay, Director
The Big Red One1980 · War Correspondent (uncredited), Director, Writer	War Correspondent (uncredited), Director, Writer
The Meanest Men in the West1978 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street1972 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Shark1969 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
The Naked Kiss1964 · Director, Producer, Writer	Director, Producer, Writer
Shock Corridor1963 · Director, Screenplay, Producer	Director, Screenplay, Producer
Merrill's Marauders1962 · Screenplay, Director	Screenplay, Director
Underworld U.S.A.1961 · Producer, Director, Writer	Producer, Director, Writer
The Crimson Kimono1959 · Producer, Writer, Director	Producer, Writer, Director
Verboten!1959 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Dogface1959 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Forty Guns1957 · Screenplay, Director, Producer	Screenplay, Director, Producer
Run of the Arrow1957 · Writer, Director, Producer	Writer, Director, Producer
China Gate1957 · Director, Screenplay, Producer	Director, Screenplay, Producer
House of Bamboo1955 · Japanese policeman (uncredited), Director	Japanese policeman (uncredited), Director
Hell and High Water1954 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Pickup on South Street1953 · Screenplay, Director	Screenplay, Director
Park Row1952 · Writer, Director, Producer	Writer, Director, Producer
Fixed Bayonets!1951 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
The Steel Helmet1951 · Writer, Director, Producer	Writer, Director, Producer
The Baron of Arizona1950 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
I Shot Jesse James1949 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
V-E +11945 · Director	Director