Dalton Trumbo

Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976), a screenwriter and novelist, was among the most prolific and important literary figures of his time. One of the famous Hollywood Ten, he refused to testify about his alleged communist affiliations before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. Blacklisted from the film industry and charged with contempt of Congress, he served an eleven-month prison sentence. Dalton's screenwriting credits include Kitty Foyle, for which he received an Academy Award nomination; Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo; and Sparticus. His books include Eclipse, The Time of the Toad, The Devil in the Book, and Washington Jitters. Johnny Got His Gun, the most highly acclaimed work of Trumbo's extraordinary career, won a National Book Award (then known as an American Book Sellers Award) in 1939. The idea for the novel came to Trumbo after he learned of a British soldier who was seriously injured during World War I.