Millard Kaufman (March 12, 1917 – March 14, 2009) was an American screenwriter and novelist. His works include the Academy Award-nominated Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). He was also one of the creators of Mr. Magoo.
Acting? Now that is a miserable profession. An awful life. Even the best of them, they sit around most of the year, not working, not doing anything. Marlon Brando once told me acting is not a job for a grown man. Even the successful ones. Like Humphrey Bogart. Who was a drinker. Very bright. A wonderful chess player. But most of the year he had nothing to do, so he drank. He was a helluva decent man.
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Fact
1
Studied at John Hopkins University, supplementing his income by volunteering as a guinea pig for medical tests on cobra venom. After his graduation, he worked as a copy boy at the New York Daily News, then as a reporter for Newsday.
2
Millard and Lorraine had 3 kids during their 66-year-long marriage: son Frederick and daughters Mary Carde and Amy Burk, and seven grandchildren.
3
Early in his Hollywood career, he fronted for blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo on the 1950 film-noir crime classic Deadly Is the Female (1950). In 1992 Kaufman officially requested that the Writers Guild of America West take his name off the credits and replace it with Trumbo's name. "Any time I had speaking engagements where they included that film in my credits, I always set the record straight anyway," he said.
4
Began writing his first novel at age 86. The book, "A Bowl of Cherries," was published in October 2007.
Enlisted in the US Marines at the outbreak of World War II, and participated in the Guadalcanal campaign and the landings at Guam and Okinawa. He was awarded a Bronze Star for bravery under fire.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
1980
TV Movie
The Nativity
1978
TV Movie
Police Story
1976
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Jackpot
1975
co-writer
Klansman
1974
screenplay
Living Free
1972
screenplay
The War Lord
1965
screenplay
Convicts 4
1962
screenplay
Never So Few
1959
screenplay
Raintree County
1957
screenplay
Bad Day at Black Rock
1955
screen play
Take the High Ground!
1953
screenplay / story
Aladdin and His Lamp
1952
Unknown World
1951
original screenplay
Deadly Is the Female
1950
front for Dalton Trumbo
Punchy de Leon
1950
Short story
Ragtime Bear
1949
Short story
Expanding World Relationships
1947
Short story
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Convicts 4
1962
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Raintree County
1957
associate producer
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Mr. Magoo
1997
acknowledgment: the original "Mr. Magoo" was written by
$9 Million
