Ed Wood

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Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and pulp novelist.

In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult classics, notably ''Glen or Glenda'' (1953), ''Jail Bait'' (1954), ''Bride of the Monster'' (1955), ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' (1957) and ''Night of the Ghouls'' (1959). In the 1960s and 1970s, he moved towards sexploitation and pornographic films such as ''The Sinister Urge'' (1960), ''Orgy of the Dead'' (1965) and ''Necromania'' (1971), and wrote over 80 lurid pulp crime and sex novels.

Notable for their campy aesthetics, technical errors, unsophisticated special effects, use of poorly-matched stock footage, eccentric casts, idiosyncratic stories and non sequitur dialogue, Wood's films remained largely obscure until he was posthumously awarded a Golden Turkey Award for Worst Director of All Time in 1980, renewing public interest in his life and work.

Following the publication of Rudolph Grey's 1992 oral biography ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr.'', a biopic of his life, ''Ed Wood'' (1994), was directed by Tim Burton. Starring Johnny Depp as Wood and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, the film received critical acclaim and various awards, including two Academy Awards.