JOHN STURGES BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

John Sturges was born on January 3rd, 1910 in Oak Park, Illinois with the birth name John Elliott Sturges.  His career in the entertainment industry began in 1932 when he found work in Hollywood working as an editor. 

He later began to develop an interest in the directing side of the industry and during World War II, Sturges was given the chance to direct documentaries as well as training films for the United States Army Air Corps. 

After gaining some years of experience he broke into the Hollywood film industry with his directorial debut in 1946 with the film, "The Man Who Dared" starring George Macready, Leslie Brooks and Forrest Tucker.  Other early films he directed included, "Shadowed" (1946), "Alias Mr. Twilight" (1946), "For the Love of Rusty" (1947) starring Tom Donaldson, Ann Doran, Tom Powers, Dwayne Hickman and Audrey Mather, "Keeper of the Bees" (1947) starring Michael Duane and Gloria Henry, the documentary "Thunderbolt" (1947) with William Wyler and "The Sign of the Ram" (1948) starring Susan Peters, Phyllis Thaxter, Alexander Knox, Peggy Ann Garner and Dame May Whitty.

In 1955, he received a Best Director Oscar nomination for the film, "Bad Day at Black Rock" starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, John Ericson, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin.  Other well known films he directed over the course of his career included, "The Magnificent Yankee" (1950) starring Louis Calhern, Ann Harding, Eduard Franz, James Lydon, Richard Anderson and Philip Ober, "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957) starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, John Ireland, Jo Van Fleet, Martin Milner, Dennis Hopper, Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, DeForest Kelley, Earl Holliman and Charles Herbert, "The Old Man and the Sea" (1958), "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz as the seven and also Robert J. Wilke, Whit Bissell and Eli Wallach, "Seargents 3" (1962) featuring Rat Pack icons Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, "The Great Escape" (1963) starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence and David McCallum just to name a few and "Ice Station Zebra" (1968) starring Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, Lloyd Nolan and Jim Brown.

His last films prior to passing included, "Marooned" (1969), "Joe Kidd" (1972) starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, Don Stroud, Gregory Walcott and John Saxon, "Chino" (1973) starring Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Marcel Bozzuffi and Vincent Van Patten, "McQ" (1974) starring John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, Julie Adams, Clu Gulager and Colleen Dewhurst and the final film he directed prior to retiring was, "The Eagle Has Landed" (1976) starring Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Anthony Quayle, Donald Pleasence and Larry Hagman.  

He married only once to Dorothy Lynn Brooks in 1945 however this marriage ended in divorce and he chose not to re-marry again.  On August 18th, 1992, John Sturges passed away in San Luis Obispo, California after suffering from a heart attack as well as emphysema. 

Filmography

1976         The Eagle Has Landed
1974         McQ
1973         Chino
1972         Joe Kidd
1969         Marooned
1968         Ice Station Zebra
1967         Hour of the Gun
1965         The Hallelujah Trail
1965         The Satan Bug
1963         The Great Escape
1962         A Girl Named Tamiko
1962         Sergeants 3
1961         By Love Possessed
1960         The Magnificent Seven
1959         Never So Few
1959         Last Train from Gun Hill
1958         The Old Man and the Sea
1958         The Law and Jake Wade
1958         Saddle the Wind 
1957         Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
1956         Backlash
1955         The Scarlet Coat
1955         Underwater!
1955         Bad Day at Black Rock
1953         Escape from Fort Bravo
1953         Fast Company
1953         Jeopardy
1952         The Girl in White
1951         It's a Big Country
1951         The People Against O'Hara
1951         Kind Lady
1950         The Magnificent Yankee
1950         Right Cross
1950         Mystery Street
1950         The Capture
1949         The Ford Theatre Hour
1949         The Walking Hills
1948         Best Man Wins
1948         The Sign of the Ram
1947         Thunderbolt
1947         Keeper of the Bees
1947         For the Love of Rusty
1946         Alias Mr. Twilight
1946         Shadowed
1946         The Man Who Dared