Biography
Daniel Taradash was an American screenwriter and playwright. He was born on 29 January 1913 in Louisville, Kentucky, and died on 22 February 2003 in Los Angeles, California. He studied at Harvard University and received a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1936. Although he passed the New York State bar examination, he did not practise law and instead pursued writing.
Taradash's early screenwriting credits include Golden Boy (1939) and Knock on Any Door (1949). He served in the US Signal Corps during the Second World War, working on training films. His adaptation of James Jones's novel for From Here to Eternity (1953) earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Other notable screenplays include Don't Bother to Knock (1952), Rancho Notorious (1952), Picnic (1955), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), Morituri (1965), Hawaii (1966) and Castle Keep (1969). He also directed Storm Center (1956).
Taradash served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1970 to 1973 and as president of the Writers Guild of America West from 1977 to 1979.
