Samuel Fuller was an American film director, screenwriter and producer born in Worcester, Massachusetts. At the age of 12, he began working in journalism with his first newspaper job as a copyboy. He became a crime reporter in New York City at age 17, working for the New York Evening Graphic. Fuller wrote pulp novels and screenplays from the mid-1930s onwards.
During World War II, he joined the United States Army infantry and was assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. Fuller saw heavy fighting and was involved in landings in Africa, Sicily, and Normandy. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart. He used his wartime experiences as material in his films. Hats Off (1936) marked Fuller’s first credit as screenwriter. He accomplished the move to direction by being approached to write three films and offered to do so if he would be allowed to direct them, with no extra fee.
His first film was I Shot Jesse James (1949). Fuller’s third film, The Steel Helmet, established him as a major force. It was one of the first films about the Korean War. He was sought after by the major studios to join them and signed a contract with 20th Century Fox for seven films. Pickup on South Street (1953) remains his most well-known film. Fuller’s work throughout the 1950s and early 1960s followed a basic format: lower-budget genre films that explored controversial topics.
