
Edward Dmytryk
Personal Info
Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1908-09-04
Day of Death
1999-07-01 (90 years old)
Place of Birth
Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada
Edward Dmytryk
Biography
Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was an American film director who was amongst the Hollywood Ten, a group of blacklisted film industry professionals who served time in prison for being in contempt of Congress during the McCarthy-era 'red scare'.
Although born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada, Dmytryk grew up in San Francisco when his Ukrainian parents moved to the United States. At the age of 31, he became a naturalized citizen.
His best known films from the pre-McCarthy period of his career were film noirs Crossfire, for which he received a Best Director Oscar nomination, and Murder, My Sweet, the latter an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely. In addition, he made two World War II films: Hitler's Children, the story of the Hitler youth and Back to Bataan starring John Wayne.
The late 1940's was the time of the Second Red Scare, and Dmytryk was one of many filmmakers investigated. Summoned to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), he refused to cooperate and was sent to jail. After spending several months behind bars, Dmytryk made the decision to testify again, and give the names of his fellow members in the American Communist Party as the HUAC had demanded. On April 25, 1951, Dmytryk appeared before HUAC for the second time, answering all questions. He spoke of his own Party past, a very brief membership in 1945, including the naming of twenty-six former members of left-wing groups. He explained how John Howard Lawson, Adrian Scott, Albert Maltz and others had pressured him to include communist propaganda in his films. His testimony damaged several court cases that others of the so-called "Hollywood 10" had filed. He recounted his experiences of the period in his revealing 1996 book, Odd Man Out: A Memoir of the Hollywood Ten (Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL).
For a time, Dmytryk moved to England, and Stanley Kramer hired him to direct a trio of low-budget films before handing Dmytryk The Caine Mutiny. He made films for major studios Columbia, 20th Century Fox, MGM and Paramount Pictures, including, among others, Raintree County, The Left Hand of God, The Young Lions, a remake of the Marlene Dietrich classic The Blue Angel, and The Carpetbaggers. Later into the 60' and 70's, he directed Where Love Has Gone, Anzio, Alvarez Kelly, Shalako, and his final film Bluebeard. The films which he directed featured stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Gene Tierney, Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Sean Connery, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda.
After his film career tapered off in the 1970s, he entered academia and taught at the University of Texas at Austin, and at the University of Southern California. He wrote several books on the art of filmmaking (such as "On Film Editing") and lectured at various colleges and theaters, such as the Orson Welles Cinema. Dmytryk died from heart and kidney failure on 1 July, 1999, aged 90, in Encino, California.
Acting
The Reality Trip
as self
(2009)
A War in Hollywood
as Self - Director (archive footage)
(2006)
(1999)
(1998)
(1998)
(1998)
(1997)
(1996)
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
as Himself
(1996)
(1995)
(1995)
Inside the Dream Factory
as Self
(1994)
Marlon Brando: The Wild One
as Self
(1991)
(1950)
The Hollywood Ten
as Self
Crew
(1979)
Not Only Strangers
Director
(1975)
The Human Factor
Director
(1975)
He Is My Brother
Director
(1972)
Bluebeard
Writer, Director
(1968)
Anzio
Director
(1968)
Shalako
Director
(1966)
Alvarez Kelly
Director
(1965)
Mirage
Director
(1964)
The Carpetbaggers
Director
(1964)
Where Love Has Gone
Director
(1962)
Walk on the Wild Side
Director
(1962)
The Reluctant Saint
Director, Producer
(1959)
Warlock
Director, Producer
(1959)
The Blue Angel
Director
(1958)
The Young Lions
Director
(1957)
Raintree County
Director
(1956)
The Mountain
Director, Producer
(1955)
Soldier of Fortune
Director
(1955)
The Left Hand of God
Director
(1955)
The End of the Affair
Director
(1954)
The Caine Mutiny
Director
(1954)
Broken Lance
Director
(1953)
Three Lives
Director
(1953)
The Juggler
Director
(1952)
The Sniper
Director
(1952)
Eight Iron Men
Director
(1952)
Mutiny
Director
(1949)
Obsession
Director
(1949)
Give Us This Day
Director
(1947)
Crossfire
Director
(1947)
So Well Remembered
Director
(1946)
Till the End of Time
Director
(1945)
Cornered
Director
(1945)
Back to Bataan
Director
(1944)
Murder, My Sweet
Director
(1944)
Tender Comrade
Director
(1943)
The Falcon Strikes Back
Director
(1943)
Captive Wild Woman
Director
(1943)
Hitler's Children
Director
(1943)
Behind the Rising Sun
Director, Producer
(1942)
Counter-Espionage
Director
(1942)
Seven Miles from Alcatraz
Director
(1941)
The Devil Commands
Director
(1941)
Confessions of Boston Blackie
Director
(1941)
Secrets of the Lone Wolf
Director
(1941)
Sweetheart of the Campus
Director
(1941)
Under Age
Director
(1941)
The Blonde from Singapore
Director
(1940)
Golden Gloves
Director
(1940)
Mystery Sea Raider
Director
(1940)
Her First Romance
Director
(1940)
Emergency Squad
Director
(1939)
Television Spy
Director
(1939)
Love Affair
Editor
(1939)
Million Dollar Legs
Director
(1938)
Zaza
Editor
(1938)
Bulldog Drummond's Peril
Editor
(1937)
Double or Nothing
Editor
(1937)
Turn Off the Moon
Editor
(1937)
Hold 'Em Navy
Editor
(1936)
Three Married Men
Editor
(1936)
Too Many Parents
Editor
(1936)
Easy to Take
Editor
(1935)
The Hawk
Director, Editor
(1935)
Ruggles of Red Gap
Editor
(1934)
College Rhythm
Editor
(1933)
Duck Soup
Assistant Editor
(1932)
Make Me a Star
Editor
(1932)
If I Had a Million
Assistant Editor
(1932)
The Phantom President
Assistant Editor
(1930)
(1930)
Only Saps Work
Editor