Motion Picture Director. One of the "Hollywood Ten," ten writers, producers and directors who went before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 and refused to answer the question, "Were you, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?" Born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada, he was the second son of Ukranian immigrants. As a child, his father moved the family from San Francisco and eventually settled in Los Angeles. Edward began selling and delivering newspapers at 6 years old and left home at 14 to become a messenger for Paramount Pictures. By the age of 31, he worked his way up the ladder to become a director. He was a graduate of Hollywood High School and he dropped out of his studies at the California Institute for Technology. He went on to direct such films as "Hitler's Children," "Behind the Rising Sun," "Murder, My Sweet," "Cornered," and "Crossfire," where he was nominated for an Academy Award with Adrian Scott, another member of the Ten. For his refusal to testify at the HUAC hearings in 1947, Dmytryk was found guilty of contempt of Congress, fined $1,000 and sentenced to a year in prison. After serving four and a half months at the federal prison camp in Mill Point, West Virginia, Dmytryk found himself on an industry blacklist - unable to work in Hollywood - and, in 1951, recanted his refusal and named names (the only one of the Ten to do so). He wrote his autobiography, "It's a Hell of a Life, but Not a Bad Living," in 1978, where he stated he did not feel guilty about his reversal. But Dmytryk was never forgiven by many in Hollywood. In 1988, Dmytryk commented to the Associated Press, "When I die, I know the obits will first read 'one of Hollywood's Unfriendly 10,' not director of 'The Caine Mutiny,' 'The Young Lions,' 'Raintree Country,' and other films."
Motion Picture Director. One of the "Hollywood Ten," ten writers, producers and directors who went before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 and refused to answer the question, "Were you, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?" Born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada, he was the second son of Ukranian immigrants. As a child, his father moved the family from San Francisco and eventually settled in Los Angeles. Edward began selling and delivering newspapers at 6 years old and left home at 14 to become a messenger for Paramount Pictures. By the age of 31, he worked his way up the ladder to become a director. He was a graduate of Hollywood High School and he dropped out of his studies at the California Institute for Technology. He went on to direct such films as "Hitler's Children," "Behind the Rising Sun," "Murder, My Sweet," "Cornered," and "Crossfire," where he was nominated for an Academy Award with Adrian Scott, another member of the Ten. For his refusal to testify at the HUAC hearings in 1947, Dmytryk was found guilty of contempt of Congress, fined $1,000 and sentenced to a year in prison. After serving four and a half months at the federal prison camp in Mill Point, West Virginia, Dmytryk found himself on an industry blacklist - unable to work in Hollywood - and, in 1951, recanted his refusal and named names (the only one of the Ten to do so). He wrote his autobiography, "It's a Hell of a Life, but Not a Bad Living," in 1978, where he stated he did not feel guilty about his reversal. But Dmytryk was never forgiven by many in Hollywood. In 1988, Dmytryk commented to the Associated Press, "When I die, I know the obits will first read 'one of Hollywood's Unfriendly 10,' not director of 'The Caine Mutiny,' 'The Young Lions,' 'Raintree Country,' and other films."
Bio by: Donna Di Giacomo
Inscription
Dearly Beloved
Famed Film Director
Husband of Jean Porter, Father of
Michael, Richard, Victoria and Rebecca
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Dmytryk memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
