Robert Altman

He completed his junior college at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington. It was in 1945 that he got inducted into the Air Force and became a pilot. He moved to Hollywood with his first wife LaVonne after his discharge from the military and got absorbed into films and acting. Altman attempted to take up acting and featured in the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in 1947. He also wrote a song for Broadway, The Rumors are Flying and a story for Christmas Eve.

After gaining a short publicity as a director he went back to his hometown Kansas and was determined to take serious work in film making. Altman was recommended by a very close friend to a film production company in Kansas,the Calvin Co. In 1950, he got assigned for writing scripts and editing films for the Calvin company. He learned a lot about film making while he was working on training films, documentaries, industrial and educational films and advertisements. Altman did about sixty-five short films for Calvin on various topics including football and car crashes.

His success came in a slow and gradual way and he longed for projects that were more challenging than the ones he had already done. Eventually he wrote a screenplay for Corn's-A-Poppin which was produced by the Kansas City production house. Besides, he also did a number of television commercials like Eileen Ford Agency and The Pulse of the City. His big screen directorial debut finally came in 1957 when he made The Delinquents.

Subsequently he directed Alfred Hitchcock's TV show and many other television shows until he got his long-awaited opportunity of scripting for Mash in 1969. Although, this wasn't his first movie, it definitely was his first success and he opted for even though more than fifteen directors has turned it down. Thereafter, Altman has had no turning back and he gave hit films like The Player and the Gosford Park.