Born Aug. 12, 1912, in Worcester, Mass., to Russian and Polish immigrant parents, writer and director Sam Fuller became a New York crime reporter at age 17 and spent the early years of his career writing pulp novels and screenplays.

After serving in the First Infantry Division during World War II, Fuller resumed his screenwriting career and eventually took up directing, making his name with a series of well-regarded noir films, including 1953's Pickup on South Street, which earned Thelma Ritter an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and is widely recognized as a masterpiece of the genre.

Fuller also drew on his wartime experience to provide some of Hollywood's most realistic battlefield depictions in films such as The Steel Helmet, Fixed Bayonets! and 1980's critically acclaimed The Big Red One. Fuller died Oct. 30, 1997.