W R Burnett

AKA:
William Riley Burnett, John Monahan, James Updyke
Nationality:
American
Birthdate:
11/25/1899
Birthplace:
Springfield, Ohio
Death Date:
04/25/1982
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biography
A highly-prolific author whose novels and short stories provided the basis for numerous films ranging from the gangster classic "Little Caesar" (1930) to the Western "Dark Command" (1940), W R Burnett also adapted his own work for film (e.g., "High Sierra" 1941) and wrote original screenplays, both alone and in collaboration (e.g., "This Gun for Hire" 1942, "The Great Escape" 1963).

A former government statistician, Burnett settled in Chicago at the height of Prohibition and penned his first novel "Little Caesar" in 1929. A veiled study of the rise and fall of a mobster who bore a passing Continued

Credits
screenplay
1963
screenplay
1955
Source Material (from novel)
1955
Source Material (from novel)
1950
Source Material (from novel)
1941
screenplay
1941
adaptation
1932
dialogue
1932
Source Material (from novel)
1930
Source Material (from novel)
Source Material (from novel)
From Story
screenplay
screenplay
Source Material (from novel)
Book as Source Material
screenplay
screenplay
From Story
Source Material (from novel)
Source Material (from novel)
screenplay
screenplay
screenplay
adaptation
From Story
milestones
Year
Milestone
1927 
Moved to Chicago
1928 
Began writing crime fiction
1929 
Published first novel, "Little Caesar", loosely inspired by the life of Al Capone; filmed in 1930 with Edward G Robinson in title role
1932 
Credited with adaptation and dialogue for Howard Hawks' "Scarface"
1942 
First original screenplay (co-written with Frank Butler), "Wake Island"; received Oscar nomination
Continued
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