Ed Wood

Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, author, and pulp fiction writer renowned for directing low-budget science fiction and horror films in the 1950s, most notably Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), which was named the worst film ever made in the 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards by Michael and Harry Medved.) Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, to a postal worker father, Wood developed an early passion for comic books, pulp magazines, and cinema, particularly 1930s Universal horror films and B-Westerns.)

Wood enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942 at age 17 and served until 1946, reaching the rank of corporal; though he later claimed combat experience in the Pacific Theater including surviving the Battle of Tarawa and earning decorations such as two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, a Silver Star, and the Sharpshooter's Medal, official military records indicate he did not see combat. After his discharge, he moved to Hollywood in 1947 to pursue a career in film, initially staging amateur theater productions and writing scripts.) His directorial debut came with the unfinished Western short Crossroads of Laredo (1948), completed posthumously in 1995, but he gained notice with his first feature, Glen or Glenda (1953), a semi-autobiographical drama about cross-dressing that reflected his own lifelong practice of wearing women's clothing and makeup, which he claimed began after a childhood injury.)