Leonardo Bercovici (January 4, 1908 – November 22, 1995) was an American screenwriter, film director, and producer.

Blacklisting and aftermath

Bercovici was called to testify before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

and

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

. He was named by

Edward Dmytryk Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was a Canadian-born American film director and editor. He was known for his 1940s films noir, noir films and received an Academy Award for Best Director, Oscar nomination for Best Director for ...

and Richard Collins. On May 16, 1951, he swore he was not a member of the Communist Party, and invoked his fifth amendment right to not incriminate himself when he was asked whether he had been a member in the past. He moved to Europe and worked in the European film industry until about 1958, when it was announced he would write the

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

film ''Two Against Tomorrow'', but Power's death ended the project.

Personal life

Bercovici was the son of Joseph Bercovici, brother of Konrad Bercovici. He first married Frances Ellis; she died in an apparent suicide on May 23, 1951, while Bercovici was being investigated for Communist activities. Bercovici married Swedish stage and film actress Märta Torén in June 1952; she died in 1957. They had one daughter, Kristina. His son Eric Bercovici became a screenwriter and producer, as did Bercovici's grandson,

Luca Bercovici Luca Bercovici (born February 22, 1957) is an American filmmaker, writer, producer and actor. In 1979, as part of Bercovici's earliest involvements in filmmaking, he spent six months in Japan as a dialogue director for the miniseries, ''Shōg ...

Selected credits

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bercovici, Leonardo 1908 births 1995 deaths Writers from Brooklyn Screenwriters from New York (state) Film directors from New York City Film directors from Los Angeles Screenwriters from California Hollywood blacklist 20th-century American screenwriters Jewish American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews