Born in Oak Park, IL. Reliable Hollywood craftsman who established his reputation in the mid-1950s with a series of intense, morally charged features such as BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955) and GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957), before moving on to bigger -- though not especially better -- productions. Sturges began his career as an editor, co-directed the war documentary, THUNDERBOLT (1945), with William Wyler, and subsequently specialized in action and western features. Other notable films include THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (1958), NEVER SO FEW (1959), THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960), SERGEANTS 3 (1962), A GIRL NAMED TAMIKO and THE GREAT ESCAPE (both 1963), THE SATAN BUG (1965), MAROONED (1969), JOE KIDD (1972), McQ (1974), THE EAGLE HAS LANDED (1976) and -- Howard Hughes' favorite movie -- ICE STATION ZEBRA (1968).  Nominated for Directing 1955: BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK 1 nomination