Trivia

Was a member of the Communist Party from 1937 to 1945. He was blacklisted by HUAC, 1951-53, after refusing to name names, after being subpoenaed. In 1953, he relented to save his career and implicated 57 people as having had communist affiliations. As a result of his cooperation, he was permitted to work again, though he did not return to Hollywood.

Had a long-standing problem with alcoholism.

His work on All the King's Men (1949) has been compared to that of the Italian post-war neo-realists, in its almost documentary-style approach, editing methods, location shooting in all types of weather (with whatever lighting was available) and a cast which included many non-professional actors, often caught unawares by the camera.

Originally refused to testify at the HUAC hearings (regarding the blacklist), but then admitted to being a member of the Communist Party in May, 1953, and named 57 others as well.

Directed 8 actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, Broderick Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge, John Ireland, and John Garfield. Crawford and McCambridge won for All the King's Men (1949).

Became obsessed by the failure of They Came to Cordura (1959) and spent many years attempting to release a re-edited version.

His career was often hampered by his reluctance to work in collaboration with others.

Brought up in Manhattan's Lower East Side, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He attended New York University and briefly earned a living as a professional welterweight boxer. Staged his first socialist-oriented plays for the Washington Square Players and the Maverick Woodstock Players, later moving on to work with the Theater Guild and graduating to stage manager.

He has written three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: A Walk in the Sun (1945), All the King's Men (1949) and The Hustler (1961). He has also directed two films that are in the registry: All the King's Men and The Hustler.

Ex-father-in-law of Hal Holbrook.

He was the grandson of a rabbi and the nephew of a Hebrew poet.

He became a contract screenwriter for Mervyn LeRoy at Warner Brothers (1936-45) when his latest play on Broadway closed after just four performances. His screenplays often focused on individuals either fighting or being destroyed by the system. Prompted by actor Dick Powell, he directed his first film in 1946. Though it was poorly received, he then had back-to-back hits with Body and Soul (1947) and All the King's Men (1949), after which he was able to set up his own production company, with financing and releasing through Columbia (contract 1949-51). Rossen had a poor productive spell in the 1950's and did not return to form until The Hustler (1961). His last film, Lilith (1964), flopped in the U.S., though it was highly regarded in France. Allegedly, there were on-set problems between Rossen and star Warren Beatty which contributed to Rossen never making another film again.

"Macbeth" was Rossen's favorite Shakespearean play, which he described as a 'dramatization of the ambiguity of the human condition.'.

Father of Carol Eve Rossen, Ellen Rossen and Steven Rossen.

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945." Pages 971-976. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.