The Resume

(March 16, 1908-February 18, 1966)
Born in Manhattan, New York
Birth name was Robert Rosen
Director and screenwriter
Directed and wrote 'Johnny O'Clock' (1947), 'All the King's Men' (1949), 'Mambo' (1954), 'Alexander the Great' (1956), 'The Hustler' (1961), and 'Lilith' (1964)
Directed the films 'Body and Soul' (1947), 'The Brave Bulls' (1951), and 'Island in the Sun' (1957)
Wrote screenplays for 'Marked Woman' (1937), 'Racket Busters' (1938), 'The Roaring Twenties' (1939), 'The Sea Wolf' (1941), 'Blues in the Night' (1941), 'A Walk in the Sun' (1945), 'The Strange Love of Martha Ivers' (1946), and 'Desert Fury' (1947)
Father-in-law of actor Hal Holbrook

Why he might be annoying:

His first play, 'The Body Beautiful,' closed after four performances (1935).
Although 'All the King's Men' won the Oscar for Best Picture, he lost his nominations for both Best Director and Best Screenplay.
He joined the Communist Party (1937).
Two years after appearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee and pleading the Fifth Amendment, he agreed to name names so he could return to work (1953).

Why he might not be annoying:

Despite its short run, 'The Body Beautiful' impressed director Mervyn LeRoy enough to sign him to a screenwriter's contract with Warner Brothers.
He served as chair of the Hollywood Writers Mobilization, which organized writers to support the war effort (1941-44).
A critic wrote, 'Even minor characters make indelible appearances in a Rossen film.'
When 20th Century Fox was uncertain about the commercial prospects of 'The Hustler,' he arranged a midnight showing for the casts of the shows playing on Broadway. Their reaction was so enthusiastic that it convinced the studio to launch a full-scale promotional campaign.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Artsy/Fartsy Directors
• Blacklisted
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 81]
• Golden Globe: Best Director (Ranked: 1949)
• I Attended NYU
• I Died in 1966 (Ranked: 57)
• I Directed the Winner of the Best Picture Oscar but Lost the Best Director Oscar (Ranked: 1949)
• I Have a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame[R-T]
• I Named Names
• I'm a Communist
• Look at Me, I Got a Microphone
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director (Ranked: 1961)
• Profiles 51251-51500 (Ranked: 51361)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 109 Votes: 64.22% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying