Ed Wood

Edward Davis Wood, Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American motion picture director, screenwriter, actor, and producer.

In the 1950s, Wood made a run of independently produced, extremely low-budget horror, science fiction and cowboy films, now celebrated for their technical errors, unsophisticated special effects, idiosyncratic dialogue, eccentric casts and outlandish plot elements. Wood is commonly regarded as one of the worst filmmakers of all time. After extensive critical and commercial failure, Wood ended his career making pornography and writing pulp crime and horror novels.

Wood’s posthumous fame began two years after his death, when he was awarded a Golden Turkey Award as Worst Director of All Time, by popular vote. The lack of conventional filmmaking ability in his work has earned Wood and his films a considerable cult following. Following the publication of Rudolph Grey’s biography Nightmare of Ecstasy, Wood’s life and work have undergone minor public rehabilitation, with new light shed on his evident zeal and honest love of movies and movie production. Tim Burton’s biopic, Ed Wood (film), earned an Academy Award—an inconceivable honor for Wood himself.