John Farrow

A former naval officer, in Hollywood from 1927 as a scriptwriter, Farrow as a director turned out several well-crafted entertainments often marked by the imaginative use of locations, such as the huge skyscraper in which his 1948 thriller "The Big Clock" is largely set. The genres he was most often associated with were suspense and action drama, and his best work is both well-paced and intelligent. Farrow's best remembered efforts include "Five Came Back" (1939), detailing the struggles of plane crash survivors, "Wake Island" (1942), a gritty WWII drama, and "Alias Nick Beal" (1949), a modernized retelling of "Faust" about political corruption. He also pursued careers as a historian and novelist, and married actress Maureen O'Sullivan in 1936; daughters Mia and Tisa are also actresses.