Paid for medical studies working as an assistant cameraman

Worked chiefly as editor in Germany before moving first to Vienna as an assistant to producer Joe Pasternak in 1933 then to Paris where he worked as a film editor and to England where he worked as a screenwriter

Moved to Hollywood; worked as montage editor; renewed association with Joe Paternak and served as associate producer on some of his musical films

Film directing debut, "The Kissing Bandit"

Was "graylisted" in the 1950s for his connections to Spanish Civil War fund-raising activities and members of the Hollywood Ten; turned to TV directing

Second unit director on "Ben-Hur"; worked on the famed chariot sequence

Second unit director on "The Longest Day"

Directed more than 75 TV shows including episodes of "Rawhide" and "The Untouchables"

Directed last TV film, "Assault on Agathon"

Served as chair of the graduate film program at NYU's School of the Arts

Became visiting professor of film at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania

Taught at Film Academy in Munich, Germany; at Rice University in Houston and at Columbia University in NY