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Dalton Trumbo

Dalton Trumbo

Writer, also director · Died September 10, 1976, aged 70 · Montrose, Colorado, USA

2 Oscars · Golden Globe nominee · 2 other major award bodies

James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), Roman Holiday (1953), Spartacus (1960), and Exodus (1960). One of the Hollywood Ten, he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry. Trumbo, the other members of the Hollywood Ten, and hundreds of other professionals in the industry were blacklisted by Hollywood. He continued working clandestinely on major films, writing under pseudonyms or other authors' names. His uncredited work won two Academy Awards for Best Story: for Roman Holiday (1953), which was presented to a front writer, and for The Brave One (1956), which was awarded to a pseudonym used by Trumbo. When he was given public screen credit for both Exodus and Spartacus in 1960, it marked the beginning of the end of the Hollywood Blacklist for Trumbo and other affected screenwriters. He finally was given full credit by the Writers' Guild for Roman Holiday in 2011, nearly 60 years after the fact, and 35 years after his death. Description above from the Wikipedia article Dalton Trumbo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 9, 1905
Died
September 10, 1976 (aged 70)
From
Montrose, Colorado, USA
Works as
Writer, also director
Titles
45 on MovieCove · 68 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 64 days to Oct 27Down 1% in 30 days

What are Dalton Trumbo's films like?

Across their 45 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama25 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
22%
Morality
20%
Self
17%
Power
17%
Survival
12%
Society
9%
Ideas
3%
Romantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom6 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 45 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 10 · Serious 12 · Dark 23

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 30 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 16 · Intense 21

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 21 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 33 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 24 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 20 · Engaged 22 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 18 · Heavy 19

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 36 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
28
Melancholic
22
Romantic
11
Dread
8
Warm
8
Other
46

How their films linger

Bittersweet19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic9
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Dalton Trumbo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 45 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dalton Trumbo's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

68 credits, 45 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Papillon(2017)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Johnny Got His Gun(2008)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Always(1989)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Metallica - 2 of One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Roman Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Original Film Writer

  • Ishi: The Last of His Tribe(1978)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Papillon(1973)

    Screenplay · as Commandant (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Executive Action(1973)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Way We Were(1973)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • FTA(1972)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Horsemen(1971)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Johnny Got His Gun(1971)

    Director · Novel · Screenplay · as Orator

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Fixer(1968)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Hawaii(1966)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Sandpiper(1965)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Lonely Are the Brave(1962)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Town Without Pity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Writer

  • The Last Sunset(1961)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • A Day of My Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Story

  • Exodus(1960)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Spartacus(1960)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Last Train from Gun Hill(1959)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Young Philadelphians(1959)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Terror in a Texas Town(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Cowboy(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Green-Eyed Blonde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Writer

  • The Deerslayer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Screenplay

  • The Brothers Rico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Screenplay

  • The Brave One(1956)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Boss(1956)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell(1955)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Roman Holiday(1953)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • My Man and I(1952)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • He Ran All the Way(1951)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Prowler(1951)

    Screenplay · as John Gilvray's Voice (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Unknown World(1951)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Emergency Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Story

  • Gun Crazy(1950)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Gangster(1947)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Our Vines Have Tender Grapes(1945)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Jealousy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Story

  • Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo(1944)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Tender Comrade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Writer

  • A Guy Named Joe(1943)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • I Married a Witch(1942)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Somewhere I'll Find You(1942)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Remarkable Andrew (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Screenplay

  • You Belong to Me(1941)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Accent on Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Story

  • Kitty Foyle(1940)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • We Who Are Young(1940)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • A Bill of Divorcement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Writer

  • Curtain Call (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Screenplay

  • Half a Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Story

  • The Lone Wolf Strikes(1940)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay · Story

  • Career (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Writer

  • Five Came Back(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Kid from Kokomo(1939)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Sorority House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • The Flying Irishman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • A Man to Remember(1938)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Fugitives for a Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Screenplay

  • That Man's Here Again(1937)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Devil's Playground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Writer

  • Tugboat Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Story

  • Love Begins at Twenty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Screenplay

  • Road Gang(1936)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 61 titles from 1936 to 2017.

Biggest box office

Always (1989)

$74M worldwide

Highest rated

Roman Holiday (1953)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

MilestoneAward win

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 61: 0 only acting, 3 with another roleDirecting2 of 61: 1 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting58 of 61: 55 only writing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stOther crew2 of 61: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

61 titles, 3 with more than one role — writing and acting overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1930s13 · crew1940s16 · crew1950s11 · 1 acting · 11 crew1960s9 · crew1970s7 · 2 acting · 7 crew1980s3 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 Oscars and 4 other major awards from 11 major nominations, 1941–1972.

WinNomination
  1. 1972
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium
  2. 1971
    • Cannes award, won ×2
    • Cannes award, nominated
  3. 1970
    • Writers Guild Award, won
  4. 1969
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay
  5. 1961
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Written American Drama
  6. 1957
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Motion Picture Story
  7. 1954
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Motion Picture Story
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Written American Comedy
  8. 1941
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Dalton Trumbo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 45; across their 45 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up19
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

26 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser26
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

FTA (1972)

90th percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Roman Holiday (1953)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 52/100 in their films, across 45 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Dalton Trumbo's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles12–81 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles13–56 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles9–48 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles21–41 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles9–74 · median 49 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Dalton Trumbo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dalton Trumbo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Edward Lewis shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles