Paisá (1946)

Born in London, in the US from age three, he attended New York's City College, then worked as a reporter for The Daily News and The New York American, before turning to writing fiction and poetry. After serving during WW II with the US Army Special Services in Europe, he remained in Rome and became involved with the work of Italian neo-realist directors. He collaborated on Rossellini's PAISÀ / PAISAN (1946), sharing an Oscar® nomination for the film's US release in 1949, and worked uncredited on De Sica's THE BICYCLE THIEF. He received another Academy Award nomination as the co-writer of the original story of Fred Zinnemann's TERESA (1951), a compassionate tale of an American soldier and his Italian bride, shot on location in Italy. His novel and play, The Girl on the Via Flaminia, provided the basis for the Franco-American production, ACT OF LOVE (1954). Other film credits (alone or in collaboration) include CLASH BY NIGHT (1952), HUMAN DESIRE (1954), THE LEFT HAND OF GOD (1955), ISLAND IN THE SUN and A HATFUL OF RAIN (both 1957) and THE BLUE BIRD (1976). In addition to films, he also contributed scripts for episodes of TV series, including "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Mannix" and "Twilight Zone." His many poems include the lyrics for the ballad "Joe Hill," popularized by Joan Baez, about the labor organizer who was executed in Utah in 1915.    Nominated for Writing (Story and Screenplay) 1949: PAISÀ (w. Federico Fellini, Sergio Amidei, Marcello Pagliero & Roberto Rossellini)    Nominated for Writing (Motion Picture Story) 1951: TERESA (w. Stewart Stern) 2 nominations