Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898-August 6, 1959), originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a screenwriter and director born in Chicago. Known for his comedic contribution to American film, he was one of Hollywood's great filmmakers. His mother was Mary Desti , a socialite famous for her friendship with Isadora Duncan.

Sturges took the screwball comedy format of the 1930s to another level, writing dialogue that, heard today, is often surprisingly naturalistic, mature, and ahead of its time, despite the farcical situations.

He was the first writer to direct his own script, and thus the credit "Written and directed by" first appeared before his name in The Great McGinty. He won the first Academy Award ever given for Writing Original Screenplay for that script.

Among his wives was Eleanor Close , a daughter of Post Cereals' heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and a great-aunt of film star Glenn Close.

He died in New York.

Feature-films filmography

• The Power and the Glory (writer only) (1933)
• Easy Living (1937)
• The Great McGinty (1940)
• Christmas in July (1940)
• Sullivan's Travels (1941)
• The Lady Eve (1941)
• The Palm Beach Story (1942)
• I Married a Witch (producer) (1942)
• The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
• Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
• The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (Mad Wednesday) (1947)
• Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
• The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949)
• The French, They Are a Funny Race (Les carnets du Major Thompson) (1955)

Awards

• Best Writing Original Screenplay, 1940 Academy Award

External link

• Official Preston Sturges Site