Dalton Trumbo
Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist best known for his Hollywood career, his anti-war novel *Johnny Got His Gun*, and his role among the Hollywood Ten.
Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist best known for his Hollywood career, his anti-war novel *Johnny Got His Gun*, and his role among the Hollywood Ten. He was blacklisted after refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, but later received credit and recognition for work written during the blacklist period.
Early life and career
Trumbo was born in Montrose, Colorado, in 1905 and later became a screenwriter and novelist in Hollywood. By the 1940s, he was among the industry’s most successful writers.
Hollywood blacklist
In 1947, Trumbo refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee and was jailed for contempt of Congress. He was then blacklisted and continued writing under assumed names or through fronting arrangements.
Major works and recognition
Trumbo is closely associated with *Johnny Got His Gun* and with screenplays for major films including *Kitty Foyle* and *Roman Holiday*. Some awards and credits originally denied to him were later restored.
Later life and legacy
Trumbo’s blacklist-era work was eventually publicly credited, and his career became a symbol of the political pressures of McCarthy-era Hollywood. He died in 1976.
Key facts
- Trumbo was one of the Hollywood Ten, a group that refused to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947.
- He was blacklisted from the film industry and later wrote under pseudonyms during that period.
- He wrote the novel *Johnny Got His Gun*, published in 1939.
- He worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood from the late 1930s and became one of the industry’s highest-paid writers by the 1940s.
- He received an Academy Award for *The Brave One* under a pseudonym, and the credit was later restored to his own name.
Trumbo’s story is widely taught in film and media history as an example of Cold War-era censorship and blacklist politics, topics of interest to Canadian readers studying North American cinema and civil liberties.
Frequently asked questions
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References
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dalton-TrumboSupports: Birth/death details, occupation, Hollywood Ten membership, blacklist and prison sentence, early Hollywood career.
- Biography.com — https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/dalton-trumboSupports: Birth/death details, screenwriter/author career, Hollywood blacklist context.
- EBSCO Research Starters — https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/dalton-trumboSupports: Overview of career, Johnny Got His Gun, blacklist, pseudonymous writing, and Academy Award recognition.