Preston Sturges

Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and director who became one of Hollywood’s most celebrated comedic voices of the 1940s. Born Edmund Preston Biden in Chicago, Illinois, he had a cosmopolitan and unconventional upbringing, spending much of his youth in Europe with his eccentric mother, a singer and aspiring opera performer. After returning to the United States, Sturges explored various careers—including inventor and cosmetics manufacturer—before turning to writing for the stage in the late 1920s.

His breakthrough as a playwright came with the Broadway comedy Strictly Dishonorable (1929), a witty romantic farce set in a speakeasy during Prohibition. The play’s sharp dialogue and unconventional love story earned critical and commercial success, running for over a year and later adapted into two films. This success brought Sturges to the attention of Hollywood, where he transitioned to screenwriting in the early 1930s.

Sturges went on to become one of the first prominent screenwriters to direct his own scripts, breaking studio tradition at Paramount Pictures. Between 1940 and 1944, he wrote and directed a remarkable run of sophisticated, fast-paced comedies that are now considered classics, including The Great McGinty (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan’s Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), and The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944). His films were noted for their sparkling wordplay, satirical social commentary, and blend of slapstick with emotional depth.

Though his career declined after the mid-1940s due to box office disappointments and changes in studio politics, Sturges continued to write for both film and stage. His later years were spent in Europe working on independent projects, though few achieved the success of his early Hollywood triumphs.

Preston Sturges died in New York City in 1959 at the age of 60. Remembered as one of the greatest writer-directors of the golden age of American cinema, he left a legacy defined by his unique voice, comedic brilliance, and pioneering role in giving screenwriters greater creative control over their work.