John Milius pioneered a path from screenwriter to director that many other American film-makers of the 1970s would eventually follow. His reputation derives not only from the quantity of his writing that has been produced but also from the infusion of his own colorful character into his bold, brutal, and uncompromising work. Milius's screenplays portray changing times, the legends that emerge from the clash of cultures, and the prices people pay for becoming those legends. Beyond the inescapable violence, Milius's work focuses on the spiritual dimensions of great men and the codes of honor and skill by which they live.

The son of William Styx Milius (a shoe manufacturer) and Elizabeth Roe, John Frederick Milius was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was seven. Raised in a strict Victorian environment, Milius disliked school and found companionship in books, especially by Herman...