BIO

Preston Sturges was born Edmund Preston Biden in Chicago, Illinois, in 1898.   His father was a traveling salesman and his mother a singer.   His parents split when he was still a toddler and he was brought up by his mother’s third husband, a Wall Street stockbroker.

After serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, Sturges became a manager at an emporium owned by his mother’s fourth husband in 1919.   He remained there for 8 years before turning his sights to the theatre.

Sturges made his Broadway debut in 1928, at the age of 30.   He never appeared on stage again and instead focused his attention on writing plays, seven of which were produced on Broadway between 1929 and 1953.   His second play, Strictly Dishonorable (1929-1931) became a hit and he attracted the attention of Hollywood.

Known for his fast-paced, witty dialogue, Preston focused on that aspect of the screenwriting process, beginning in 1930, for Paramount.   His first screenplay was produced by Fox Film in 1933.   Preston mostly re-worked screenplays for the rest of the decade for various studios.

Unhappy with how his dialogue was being translated to the screen, he sold the rights for The Great McGinty (1940) to Paramount in return for the right to direct the film.   It was a critical hit, earning him an Academy Award for Writing - Original Screenplay.

He was signed to a four year contract at Paramount, received two more Academy Award Writing nominations for The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944) and Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), but gradually began to lose creative control.   His last film with Paramount was a flop and his contract was not renewed.

At the end of 1944, Preston became an independent producer, bankrolled by Howard Hughes.   When his films fell behind schedule and went over budget, Hughes took control of the company and forced Sturges out.

He was picked up by Twentieth Century Fox in 1948 but was released in 1950 after another flop.

Preston’s last film, shot in France, was released in 1955.   He was credited with directing 12 features between 1940 and 1955.

He married four times:

1. Estelle Mudge (1923-1927), divorced.
2. Eleanor Hutton, socialite, (1930-1932), annulled.
3. Louise Tevis (1938-1947), one child, divorced.   Their son is the actor Solomon Sturges.
4. Sandy Nagle (1951-1959), two children.

Sturges died of a heart attack in New York City, in 1959, at the age of 60.

Additional Broadway stage history is available at:

Additional biographical information is available at: