Samuel Fuller

Samuel Fuller

Deceased · Born: Aug 12, 1912 · Died: Oct 30, 1997

1992

Personal Details

Born Aug 12, 1912 Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Spouse
  • Christa Lang

    ( Jul 25, 1967 to Oct 30, 1997 )
  • Martha Downes Fuller

    ( May 9, 2024 to Dec 31, 1969 )
Relatives
  • Samira Fuller (Grandchild)

Biography

Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American screenwriter, novelist and film director known for low-budget genre movies with controversial themes. He was born Samuel Michael Fuller in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin Rabinovitch, a Jewish immigrant  from Russia, and Rebecca Baum, a Jewish immigrant from Poland. After immigrating to America, the family's surname was changed from Rabinovitch to "Fuller" possibly by inspiration of a Doctor who arrived in America on the Mayflower.  At the age of 12, he began working in journalism  as a newspaper  copyboy. He became a crime reporter  in New York City at age 17, working for the New York Evening Graphic. He broke the story of Jeanne Eagels' death.  He wrote pulp novels and screenplays  from the mid-1930s onwards. Fuller also became a screenplay  ghostwriter  but would never tell interviewers which screenplays that he ghost-wrote explaining "that's what a ghost writer is for". During World War II, Fuller joined the United States Army infantry. He was assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and saw heavy fighting. He was involved in landings in Africa, Sicily, and Normandy  and also saw action in Belgium and Czechoslovakia. In 1945 he was present at the liberation of the German concentration camp at Falkenau  and shot 16 mm footage which was used later in the documentary Falkenau: The Impossible. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart.  Fuller used his wartime experiences as material in his films, especially in The Big Red One (1980), a nickname of the 1st Infantry Division. After his controversial film "White Dog" was shelved by Paramount pictures, Fuller moved to France, and never directed another American film. Fuller eventually returned to America. He died of natural causes in his California home. In November 1997, the Directors Guild held a three hour memorial in his honor, hosted by Curtis Hanson, his long time friend and co-writer on White Dog. He was survived by his wife Christa and daughter Samantha.

Career

1994
Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love as Sam Silverman
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1993
Golem, le jardin pétrifié
Golem, le jardin pétrifié as Sam
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1990
Sons
Sons as Father
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Tinikling or 'The Madonna and the Dragon'
Tinikling or 'The Madonna and the Dragon' as Chef de bureau Newsweek
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1987
Helsinki Napoli All Night Long
A Return to Salem's Lot
A Return to Salem's Lot as Van Meer
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1982
The State of Things
The State of Things as Joe
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Slapstick of Another Kind
Slapstick of Another Kind as Colonel Sharp
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1977
The American Friend
The American Friend as The American
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1965
Pierrot the Fool
Pierrot the Fool as Samuel Fuller (uncredited)
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2013
A Fuller Life
A Fuller Life
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2002
1996
1994
Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made
1990
Hollywood Mavericks
1984
Samuel Fuller & The Big Red One
1983
Scotch Myths
Scotch Myths
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1994
Girls in Prison
Girls in Prison as Writer
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1986
Let's Get Harry
Let's Get Harry as Story
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1974
The Klansman
The Klansman as Screenplay
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1973
The Deadly Trackers
The Deadly Trackers as Story
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1968
Targets
Targets as Screenplay
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1967
The Cape Town Affair
The Cape Town Affair as Writer
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1954
The Command
The Command as Writer
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1952
Scandal Sheet
Scandal Sheet as Novel
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1951
The Tanks Are Coming
The Tanks Are Coming as Story
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1949
Shockproof
Shockproof as Writer
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1945
Gangs of the Waterfront
Gangs of the Waterfront as Story
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1943
Power of the Press
Power of the Press as Story
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Margin for Error
Margin for Error as Screenplay
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1941
Confirm or Deny
Confirm or Deny as Story
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1938
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York as Story, Screenplay
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Federal Man-Hunt
Federal Man-Hunt as Story
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Adventure in Sahara
Adventure in Sahara as Story
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1936
Hats Off
Hats Off as Story, Screenplay
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1990
Tinikling or 'The Madonna and the Dragon'
Tinikling or 'The Madonna and the Dragon' as Director, Screenplay
Watch
1989
Street of No Return
Street of No Return as Director, Screenplay
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1982
White Dog
White Dog as Director, Screenplay
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1980
The Big Red One
The Big Red One as Director, Writer
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1978
Bad Men of the West
Bad Men of the West as Director, Screenplay
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1969
Shark
Shark as Director, Screenplay
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1964
The Naked Kiss
The Naked Kiss as Director, Writer
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1963
Shock Corridor
Shock Corridor as Director, Screenplay
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1962
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders as Director, Screenplay
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1961
Underworld U.S.A.
Underworld U.S.A. as Director, Writer
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1959
Verboten!
Verboten! as Director, Writer
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Dog Face
Dog Face as Director, Writer
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The Crimson Kimono
The Crimson Kimono as Director, Writer
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1957
China Gate
China Gate as Director, Screenplay
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Forty Guns
Forty Guns as Director, Screenplay
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Run of the Arrow
Run of the Arrow as Director, Writer
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1955
House of Bamboo
House of Bamboo as Director
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1954
Hell and High Water
Hell and High Water as Director, Screenplay
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1953
Pickup on South Street
Pickup on South Street as Director, Screenplay
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1952
Park Row
Park Row as Director, Writer
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1951
The Steel Helmet
The Steel Helmet as Director, Writer
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Fixed Bayonets!
Fixed Bayonets! as Director, Screenplay
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1950
The Baron of Arizona
The Baron of Arizona as Director, Writer
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1949
I Shot Jesse James
I Shot Jesse James as Director, Writer
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