Maltz, Albert (1908–1985)

US writer. He began his career as a playwright and teacher (1937–40). He moved to Hollywood in 1941, and wrote numerous screenplays, such as This Gun for Hire (1941). He also wrote short stories, radio plays, and novels. He was a member of the ‘Hollywood Ten’, a group that refused to answer Senator Joseph McCarthy's questions about membership in the Communist Party. He was imprisoned for contempt of Congress (1950–51), and, like many others in the entertainment industry of that era, was blacklisted; he was unable to find work in his field for almost 20 years and therefore concentrated on novels and short stories. Maltz was born in New York City. He studied at Columbia University, gaining his BA in 1930, and at Yale University's drama school (1930–32).