Samuel Fuller
Born
August 12, 1912
Died
October 30, 1997 (85 years old)
Known For
Directing
Place of Birth
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American screenwriter, novelist and film director known for low-budget genre movies with controversial themes.
He was born Samuel Michael Fuller in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin Rabinovitch, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, and Rebecca Baum, a Jewish immigrant from Poland. After immigrating to America, the family's surname was changed from Rabinovitch to "Fuller" possibly by inspiration of a Doctor who arrived in America on the Mayflower. At the age of 12, he began working in journalism as a newspaper copyboy. He became a crime reporter in New York City at age 17, working for the New York Evening Graphic. He broke the story of Jeanne Eagels' death. He wrote pulp novels and screenplays from the mid-1930s onwards. Fuller also became a screenplay ghostwriter but would never tell interviewers which screenplays that he ghost-wrote explaining "that's what a ghost writer is for".
During World War II, Fuller joined the United States Army infantry. He was assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and saw heavy fighting. He was involved in landings in Africa, Sicily, and Normandy and also saw action in Belgium and Czechoslovakia. In 1945 he was present at the liberation of the German concentration camp at Falkenau and shot 16 mm footage which was used later in the documentary Falkenau: The Impossible. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart. Fuller used his wartime experiences as material in his films, especially in The Big Red One (1980), a nickname of the 1st Infantry Division.
After his controversial film "White Dog" was shelved by Paramount pictures, Fuller moved to France, and never directed another American film. Fuller eventually returned to America. He died of natural causes in his California home. In November 1997, the Directors Guild held a three hour memorial in his honor, hosted by Curtis Hanson, his long time friend and co-writer on White Dog. He was survived by his wife Christa and daughter Samantha.

A Fuller Life
Self
2013

Scene Missing
Self
2012

Nuits transparentes
2011

Sodankylä Forever
Self
2010

Carmel
2009

Filmmakers in Action
Self (archive footage)
2006

Edge of Outside
Self (archive footage)
2006

The Big Red One: The Reconstruction
War Correspondent (uncredited)
2005

The Real Glory: Reconstructing 'The Big Red One'
Himself (archive footage)
2005

Necro not(to b)e
Sé stesso
2003

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
Self
2002

The End of Violence
Louis
1997

The Typewriter, the Rifle & the Movie Camera
Self
1996

Somebody to Love
Sam Silverman
1994

Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made
Self
1994
Un Américain en Normandie
Himself
1994

Anything for John
Self
1993

Golem: The Petrified Garden
Sam
1993

Golem, the Spirit of Exile
Elimelek
1992

La Vie de Bohème
Gassot
1992

Where Is Musette?
self
1992

Shock Corridor
himself
1992

The Madonna and the Dragon
Chef de bureau Newsweek
1990

Motion and Emotion: The Films of Wim Wenders
Self
1990

Sons
Father
1990

Street of No Return
Police Commissioner
1989

David Lansky
(1 episode)
1989
Tell me Sam - Encounters with Sam Fuller
Himself
1989

Falkenau, the Impossible
Samuel Fuller
1988

Mer de Chine: Le pays pour mémoire
Le capitaine américain
1988

Helsinki Napoli All Night Long
Boss
1987

A Return to Salem's Lot
Van Meer
1987
Midnight Sun Film Festival
1987

The Bleeding Star
1987
Hooray For Holyrood
Self
1986
A Travelling is a Moral Affair
Himself
1986
Report from Hollywood
1985

Thieves After Dark
Zoltan
1984

Sam Fuller & the Big Red One
Self
1984

Slapstick of Another Kind
Colonel Sharp
1982

White Dog
Charlie Felton
1982

Hammett
Old Man in Pool Hall
1982

The State of Things
Joe
1982

The Big Red One
War Correspondent (uncredited)
1980

1941
Interceptor Commander
1979

Cinématon
N°602
1978

The American Friend
The American
1977

Scott Joplin
Impresario
1977

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self · (1 episode)
1975

The Young Nurses
Doc Haskell
1973

The Last Movie
Sam
1971
Cinéastes de notre temps : Samuel Fuller
Interviewee
1967

Brigitte et Brigitte
Self
1966

Pierrot le Fou
Samuel Fuller (uncredited)
1965

House of Bamboo
Japanese policeman (uncredited)
1955