Robert Pirosh

Robert Pirosh (April 1, 1910 – December 25, 1989) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer renowned for his contributions to Hollywood films and television, most notably his Academy Award-winning screenplay for the 1949 World War II drama Battleground, which drew from his own combat experiences. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Pirosh graduated from Baltimore City College in 1928 and pursued further studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Berlin. In 1934, during the Great Depression, he left a successful career as a New York copywriter to pursue screenwriting, sending a bold, eloquent letter expressing his passion for words to numerous Hollywood executives, which landed him a junior writer position at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Pirosh's early Hollywood career focused on comedy, where he co-wrote scripts for classic films including the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937), as well as his first credited feature, The Winning Ticket (1935). He also contributed to whimsical fantasies like I Married a Witch (1942) and the Danny Kaye vehicle Up in Arms (1944), establishing himself as a versatile writer capable of blending humor with heartfelt storytelling during MGM's golden age. His directorial debut came with the 1951 war film Go for Broke!, which he also wrote, highlighting the heroism of Japanese-American soldiers in World War II and earning critical acclaim for its social commentary.

Robert Pirosh was born on April 1, 1910, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jewish parents Sigmar Pirosh, a physician, and Clara Jacobson, who was born in Latvia.