John Milius

John Milius

Known for: Writing
Biography: 1944-04-11 (79 years old)

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Biography

John Frederick Milius is an American screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures. He was one of the writers for the first two Dirty Harry films, received an Academy Award nomination as screenwriter of Apocalypse Now, and wrote and directed The Wind and the Lion, Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn.


He wrote a number of iconic film lines such as "Charlie don't surf" and "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," from Apocalypse Now, and the famous Dirty Harry one-liners delivered by Clint Eastwood, including "Go ahead, make my day" and "Ask yourself one question, 'do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?". Milius also wrote the USS Indianapolis monologue in the film Jaws; the sequence performed by Robert Shaw. After his work on Rough Riders (1997), Milius became an instrumental force in lobbying Congress to award President Theodore Roosevelt the Medal of Honor (posthumously), for acts of conspicuous gallantry while in combat on San Juan Hill. Milius made two films featuring Roosevelt: The Wind and the Lion (where he was played by Brian Keith) and the made-for-TV film Rough Riders (where Tom Berenger took the role).


The character of John Milner from the 1973 George Lucas film American Graffiti was inspired by Milius, who was a good friend of Lucas while they were at USC film school. Likewise, the character Walter Sobchak in the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, made by his friends the Coen Brothers, was partly based on Milius. The novella "Blind Jozef Pronek and Dead Souls" by Aleksandar Hemon features an episode with Milius, who is described as "sitting at a desk sucking on a cigar as long as a walking stick."


In 2013 a documentary about his life, titled Milius, was released.


Writer Nat Segaloff called Milius:


"The best writer of the so-called USC Mafia, a tight-knit group that resuscitated—some say homogenised American cinema in the 1970s... Raised on Ford, Hawks, Lean and Kurosawa, shaped by filmmakers as disparate as Fellini and Delmer Daves, Milius favours history books over comic books, character over special effects, and heroes with roots in reality, time, place and customs. Milius' stories reflect his own deeply held ethic, which embraces the values of tradition, adventure, spiritualism, honour and an intense loyalty to friends... Although he privately chafes at his public image as a gun-toting, liberal baiting provocateur, he allows himself to be painted as such, at times even holding the brush. He plays the Hollywood game like a pro, yet sticks to his own rules; he is a romantic filmmaker who avoids love scenes; his movies contain violence, yet no death in them is without meaning."


Milius himself once said:


"Never compromise excellence. To write for someone else is the biggest mistake that any writer makes. You should be your biggest competitor, your biggest critic, your biggest fan, because you don’t know what anybody else thinks. How arrogant it is to assume that you know the market, that you know what’s popular today [...] Write what you want to see. Because if you don’t, you’re not going to have any true passion in it, and it’s not going to be done with any true artistry."

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Filmography

all 72

Movies 67

self 35

Writer 16

Director 12

TV Shows 5

Producer 3

Narrator 2

Screenplay 1

Self
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy

Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy (2021)

Movie
Self
A Riddle of Steel: The Definitive History of Conan the Barbarian

A Riddle of Steel: The Definitive History of Conan the Barbarian (2019)

Movie
Self - Director
Sword-and-Sandal

Sword-and-Sandal (2019)

Movie
Self
Made in Hollywood: Die Welt des Raoul Walsh

Made in Hollywood: Die Welt des Raoul Walsh (2017)

Movie
Thanks
The Lotus Gun

The Lotus Gun (2015)

Movie
Self
Milius

Milius (2013)

Movie
6
Writer
Red Dawn

Red Dawn (2012)

Movie
Self
Jaws: The Inside Story

Jaws: The Inside Story (2010)

Movie
Self
Hollywood Gangster

Hollywood Gangster (2008)

Movie
Self
The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry

The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry (2008)

Movie
Self
A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry

A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry (2008)

Movie
Writer
Between the Lines: The True Story of Surfers and the Vietnam War

Between the Lines: The True Story of Surfers and the Vietnam War (2008)

Movie
Self
The Craft of Dirty Harry

The Craft of Dirty Harry (2008)

Movie
Self
The Evolution of Clint Eastwood

The Evolution of Clint Eastwood (2008)

Movie
Self
The Business End: Violence in Cinema

The Business End: Violence in Cinema (2008)

Movie
Self
The Searchers: An Appreciation

The Searchers: An Appreciation (2006)

Movie
Writer
Apocalypse Oz

Apocalypse Oz (2006)

Movie
Writer
Rome

Rome (2005)

TV
5.69
Self
A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope

A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope (2004)

Movie
John Milius
Riding Giants

Riding Giants (2004)

Movie
Self - Filmmaker
Something to Do with Death

Something to Do with Death (2003)

Movie
Self - Filmmaker
The Wages of Sin

The Wages of Sin (2003)

Movie
Self - Filmmaker
An Opera of Violence

An Opera of Violence (2003)

Movie
Narrator
Discovering Treasure: The Story of 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'

Discovering Treasure: The Story of 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' (2003)

Movie
Self
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

Movie
Himself
Frazetta: Painting with Fire

Frazetta: Painting with Fire (2003)

Movie
Self - Director
Iron and Beyond

Iron and Beyond (2002)

Movie
Self
Dirty Harry: The Original

Dirty Harry: The Original (2001)

Movie
Self
Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul

Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul (2001)

Movie
Self
The Bridge on the River Kwai: An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius

The Bridge on the River Kwai: An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius (2000)

Movie
Self
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'

Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan' (2000)

Movie
Self / Self - Author, 'Apocalypse Now' / Self - Writer, 'Apocalypse Now'
Machine Gun: History Down the Barrel of a Gun

Machine Gun: History Down the Barrel of a Gun (1999)

TV
Narrator
Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales

Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales (1999)

Movie
Voice of John Milius
A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and 'The Searchers'

A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and 'The Searchers' (1998)

Movie
Creator / Writer / Director
Rough Riders

Rough Riders (1997)

TV
Self
In the Teeth of Jaws

In the Teeth of Jaws (1997)

Movie
Self
The Making of '1941'

The Making of '1941' (1996)

Movie
Self
Ben Johnson: Third Cowboy on the Right

Ben Johnson: Third Cowboy on the Right (1996)

Movie
self
Shotgun Freeway

Shotgun Freeway (1995)

Movie
Director
Motorcycle Gang

Motorcycle Gang (1994)

Movie
Writer
Clear and Present Danger

Clear and Present Danger (1994)

Movie
5.93
Director
Rebel Highway

Rebel Highway (1994)

TV
Writer
Geronimo: An American Legend

Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)

Movie
Self
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

Movie
Director
Flight of the Intruder

Flight of the Intruder (1991)

Movie
6
Self
First Works

First Works (1989)

Movie
Director
Farewell to the King

Farewell to the King (1989)

Movie
Writer
Extreme Prejudice

Extreme Prejudice (1987)

Movie
Self
Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away

Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986)

Movie
Director
The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone (1985)

TV
7
Director
Red Dawn

Red Dawn (1984)

Movie
3.5
Producer
Uncommon Valor

Uncommon Valor (1983)

Movie
Director
Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Movie
5.45
Executive Producer
Used Cars

Used Cars (1980)

Movie
3.5
Writer
1941

1941 (1979)

Movie
6
Writer
Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Movie
5.63
Executive Producer
Hardcore

Hardcore (1979)

Movie
Director
Big Wednesday

Big Wednesday (1978)

Movie
Cop (uncredited)
Crazy Mama

Crazy Mama (1975)

Movie
Director / Writer
The Wind and the Lion

The Wind and the Lion (1975)

Movie
Self
The Lion Roars Again

The Lion Roars Again (1975)

Movie
Writer
Melvin Purvis G-Man

Melvin Purvis G-Man (1974)

Movie
Screenplay
Magnum Force

Magnum Force (1973)

Movie
5.55
Director
Dillinger

Dillinger (1973)

Movie
Director
Marcello, I'm Bored

Marcello, I'm Bored (1973)

Movie
Writer
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)

Movie
Writer
Jeremiah Johnson

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Movie
6.75
State Trooper
Deadhead Miles

Deadhead Miles (1972)

Movie
Writer
Evel Knievel

Evel Knievel (1971)

Movie
Writer
The Devil's Eight

The Devil's Eight (1969)

Movie
Writer
The Emperor

The Emperor (1967)

Movie
Writer
The Conquest of Mexico

The Conquest of Mexico

Movie

Ratings

Average 5.98
Based on 1.62 Million movie and tv ratings over time
1967
1982
1997
1989
2021
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John MiliusJohn Milius

Information

Known For
Writing

Gender
Male

Birthday
1944-04-11 (79 years old)

Birth Place
St. Louis, United States of America

Children
Amanda Milius

Citizenships
United States of America


This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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