Richard Brooks

Born
May 18, 1912 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Died
March 11, 1992 · Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA (congestive heart failure)
Birth name
Reuben Sax
Height
6′ 3″ (1.91 m)

He and John Huston co-wrote the adapted screenplay for The Killers (1946), but neither received onscreen credit because of studio contract restraints.
He reportedly first met Cary Grant at the racetrack and his name seemed familiar to the actor because he had recently read about 70 pages of Brooks' script for Crisis (1950) and wanted to do the role, as it was such an unusual part for him. Already an established writer, Brooks told him he'd like to direct, too. To that Grant replied, "If you can write it, I don't see why you can't direct it. What you don't know, I certainly know." "Crisis" became Brooks' first film as director.
While never officially accused of being a communist by The House Un-American Activities Committee, Brooks was nervous of being possibly targeted. Many writers in Hollywood were in fear of HUAC in the late 1940s. During the making of Lord Jim (1965), Brooks stated to a close friend that if he had had to move, he would live permanently in the UK, and would never want to return to the US. But the blacklist era ended without Brooks facing investigation.
Had known writer/director Samuel Fuller from the days when they were both reporters in New York City.
Directed ten different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Lee J. Cobb, Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Burt Lancaster, Shirley Jones, Ed Begley, Geraldine Page, Shirley Knight, Jean Simmons and Tuesday Weld. Three of them--Jones, Lancaster and Begley--won Oscars for their performances in a Brooks film.

[engraved on his tombstone] First comes the word.
[on agreeing to direct Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) ] I became intrigued by the possibility of saying something about the lack of commitment young people seem to have today. Their infatuation with the merely sensational. Their desire for instant relief and gratification. Their lack of sexual joy. And their disillusionment because everything didn't turn out the way TV commercials say it should.
[how he'd like to be remembered] Told a good story. And that I was honest--and I mean in my work. That means a great deal to me.
[about his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame] A little dog squatted and peed on my name. Well, I've learned to like that dog and all the other dogs that have pissed on me because it reminds me that first of all, I'm a writer.
Directing is only writing with a camera. Editing is writing. Scoring is writing. It all has to do with a story, how to tell a story.