Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Samuel Fuller

Role / Field:

Pioneering American filmmaker known for genre films and controversial themes.

Born:

1912-08-12

Died:

1997-10-30

Century / Era:

1912s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and actor. He was known for directing low-budget genre movies with controversial themes, often made outside the conventional studio system. After working as a reporter and a pulp novelist, Fuller wrote his first screenplay for Hats Off in 1936, and made his directorial debut with the Western I Shot Jesse James (1949). He continued to direct several other Westerns and war films throughout the 1950s.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He shifted genres in the 1960s with his low-budget thriller Shock Corridor in 1963, followed by the neo-noir The Naked Kiss (1964). Fuller was inactive in filmmaking for most of the 1970s, before writing and directing the semi-autobiographical war epic The Big Red One (1980), and the drama White Dog (1982), whose screenplay he co-wrote with Curtis Hanson. Several of his films influenced French New Wave filmmakers, notably Jean-Luc Godard, who gave him a cameo appearance in Pierrot le Fou (1965). In the latter part of his career, he worked mainly in Europe and lived in Paris. Samuel Michael Fuller was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, of Jewish parents...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. E. van Vogt — Contemporary (Born in 1912) (1912): Influential Canadian-American science fiction writer known for bizarre narratives.
• Adolf Galland — Contemporary (Born in 1912) (1912): German Luftwaffe general and celebrated flying ace of World War II.
• Alan Turing — Contemporary (Born in 1912) (1912): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• Adriana Caselotti — Contemporary (Died in 1997) (1997): American actress and singer, famed for voicing Snow White in the first Disney feature.
• Alan Walker — Contemporary (Born in 1997) (1997): Award-winning Norwegian DJ known for house music and maintaining an artistic persona.
• Aldo Rossi — Contemporary (Died in 1997) (1997): Pioneering Italian architect, theorist, and proponent of Postmodernism.
• Abul Fazl — Shared historical date (08-12 · Died) (1602): Pioneering Mughal historian, writer, and Grand Vizier of Emperor Akbar's court.
• Adam Johann von Krusenstern — Shared historical date (08-12 · Died) (1846): Russian admiral and explorer, famed for leading the first Russian circumnavigation.
• Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — Shared historical date (10-30 · Born) (1966): Jordanian jihadist militant known for orchestrating violence in Iraq (1966–2006)
• Adelaide Anne Procter — Shared historical date (10-30 · Born) (1825): English poet and philanthropist known for her work on poverty and faith.
• 1912 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1912
• August 12 (08-12) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 12
• 1997 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1997
• October 30 (10-30) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on October 30

Frequently Asked Questions about Samuel Fuller