Jules Dassin

Motion Picture Director, Screenwriter. He earned an Academy Award-nomination for the 1960 film "Never on Sunday" and received a Tony Award-nomination with the 1967 Broadway production "Ilya, Darling." Born in Middletown, Connecticut, he later moved to New York and began acting in the Yiddish Theatre. After working in radio, Dassin made his directing debut on Broadway with the 1940 production "Medicine Show" and would later have credits with, "Magdalena," "Two's Company" and "Isle of Children." In 1941, he made his big screen directing debut with "The Tell-Tale Heart" and later would have memorable credits with, "The Canterville Ghost" (1944), "Brute Force" (1947), "The Naked City" (1948), "Thieves' Highway" (1949) and "Night and the City" (1950). During the early 1950s, Dassin was implicated for involvement in communist activities by the McCarthy Committee and fled to Greece. In Europe, he would achieve success with the films, "Rififi" (1955), "He Who Must Die" (1957), "Topkapi" (1964) and "10.30 P.M. Summer" (1966). He was married to actress Melina Mercouri.