Movie Icon, Director and Producer, Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino was more than just an actress. She was a director and producer, something virtually unheard of in Hollywood in the 1950's.

Lupino's family had a history in the entertainment industry. Her father was Stanley Lupino, a music-hall comedian and mother, Connie Emerald was an actress. Encouraged by her family, at the age of 13, young Ida made her film debut in "The Love Race" (1931).

"The Light That Failed" (1939) established Lupino as a serious dramatic actress. She played opposite Humphrey Bogart in "They Drive by Night" (1940) and High Sierra (1941). She won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress for her performance in "The Hard Way" (1943).

Lupino often referred to herself as "the poor man's Bette Davis," no doubt a reflection on the roles she played for movie powerhouse Warner Brothers. She was prompted to leave Warner Brothers in 1947 to seek roles as a freelance actress.

While working for Warner Brothers, she was, at one time, on suspension for turning down a role - something the movie powerhouses did back in the 1940's and 50's. It was during this suspension that she became interested in directing movies.

Lupino and husband, Collier Young began their own independent filmmaking company, The Filmmakers. Lupino was named producer, director and screenwriter.

In 1949, Elmer Clifton suffered a mild heart attack and was unable to complete filming of "Not Wanted," a film he was directing for The Filmmakers. Lupino stepped in and took control and completed the project.

Lupino's later directorial works such as "The Hitchhiker" and "Outrage" (1950) dealt with themes such as brutality and rape, not exactly subjects of conversation at that time. She was dubbed "the female Hitch" due to her ability to build suspense much like the prodigy of the nickname, Alfred Hitchcock.

But Lupino was not without her lighter side. She went on to direct "The Trouble with Angels" and "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows."

She also directed episodes of numerous popular television series of the time such as "Gilligan's Island," "The Donna Reed Show," "Batman," and "Bewitched." She is the only woman to have directed a Twilight Zone episode, "The Masks."

In all, Lupino had a forty-eight year career in cinema, fifteen of which were spent behind the camera. She established a stronghold in the film industry for women directors, proving that women were as capable as men at directing the action drama.

Lupino had one daughter, Bridget Duff, with second husband Howard Duff. Bridget appeared, with her mother, in Project Hell 36 at the age of two years old.

Lupino died August 3, 1995.

Lupino has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 1724 Vine Street and one at 6821 Hollywood Blvd.