Joseph H. Lewis

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Joseph H. Lewis, born on April 6 1907 in Brooklyn, New York, was a distinguished American film director known for his work in B-movies during the mid-20th century.

 

He began his career as a camera assistant and later moved onto film editing, making his directorial debut in the late 1930s with low-budget westerns and action films.

 

Although comfortable working in a variety of genres - from horror to musicals to war pictures - he truly made his mark in film noir, his most acclaimed works being Gun Crazy (1950) and The Big Combo (1955), both of which are celebrated for their intense storytelling and striking cinematography.

 

Towards the end of his career Lewis directed numerous television episodes, particularly in the western genre, including The Rifleman and Bonanza. He retired from directing in 1966 and later received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

 

Joseph H. Lewis passed away on August 30, 2000, at his home in Los Angeles, aged 93.