Dalton Trumbo

Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist who began as a journalist and factory worker before entering Hollywood in the 1930s. Starting as a studio reader, he advanced to major productions and received Academy Award nominations in the 1940s. His membership in the CPUSA and refusal to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee placed him among the Hollywood Ten, leading to prison and blacklisting. Writing under pseudonyms, he secretly earned two Oscars before regaining official credit in 1960 through collaborations with figures like Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger. He later directed his own novel’s adaptation and received career honors, with the Academy restoring his awards. Trumbo died in 1976, at age 70.