Dudley Nichols

Dudley Nichols (April 6, 1895 – January 4, 1960) was an American screenwriter and film director. He was the first person to decline an Academy Award, as part of a boycott to gain recognition for the Screen Writers Guild; he would later accept his Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1938.

Biography Dudley Nichols was born April 6, 1895, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He studied at the University of Michigan where he was an active member of the Sigma chapter of Theta Xi fraternity.

After working as a reporter for the New York Evening Post, Nichols moved to Hollywood in 1929 and became one of the most highly regarded screenwriters of the 1930s and 1940s. He collaborated on many films over many years with director John Ford, and was also noted for his work with George Cukor, Howard Hawks, Fritz Lang and Jean Renoir. He collected the award at the 1938 Oscar ceremony. He served as president of the Screen Writers Guild in 1937 and 1938.

He also co-wrote the documentary The Battle of Midway, which won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Nichols produced and directed three films—Government Girl (1943), Sister Kenny (1946) and Mourning Becomes Electra (1947)—for which he also wrote the screenplay.

Awards In 1954 he received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.

Death Nichols died of cancer on January 4, 1960 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital after being in the hospital since December 14. His funeral was held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Filmography Year Title Notes 1930 Men Without Women 1930 Born Reckless 1930 On the Level 1930 One Mad Kiss 1930 1931 Not Exactly Gentlemen 1931 Seas Beneath 1931 1931 Hush Money 1931 Skyline 1931 Reckless Living 1931 1932 She Wanted a Millionaire 1932 While Paris Sleeps 1932 This Sporting Age 1933 Robbers Roost 1933 1933 Pilgrimage 1933 Hot Pepper 1934 Frontier Marshal 1934 You Can't Buy Everything 1934 Ever Since Eve 1934 1934 Hold That Girl 1934 Call It Luck 1934 Wild Gold 1934 Grand Canary 1934 Judge Priest 1935 Mystery Woman 1935 Life Begins at 40 1935 Academy Award, Best Writing, Screenplay (not accepted until 1938) 1935 1935 She 1935 Steamboat Round the Bend 1935 1935 1936 Mary of Scotland 1937 1937 1937 1938 Bringing Up Baby 1938 Carefree 1939 Gunga Din 1939 Stagecoach 1939 1940 Academy Award nominee 1941 Man Hunt 1941 Swamp Water 1942 1943 Air Force Academy Award nominee 1943 This Land Is Mine 1943 Mr. Lucky 1943 For Whom the Bell Tolls 1944 Government Girl Also producer and director 1944 It Happened Tomorrow 1945 And Then There Were None 1945 1945 Scarlet Street 1946 Sister Kenny Also producer and director 1947 1947 Mourning Becomes Electra Also producer and director 1949 Pinky 1951 Rawhide 1952 Return of the Texan 1952 1954 Prince Valiant 1956 Run for the Sun 1957 Academy Award nominee 1959 1960 Heller in Pink Tights