Ida Lupino Biography

Ida Lupino was a Hollywood leading lady in the 1940s and ‘50s who was also a force behind the camera as a writer, producer and director.

She was born in London, but the Lupino family had roots in the theater going back to Italy in the 17th century. Her father was a famous comedian, and her mother was a famous stage entertainer.

Lupino was “discovered” and appeared in a few British films before heading to Hollywood when she was fifteen years old. Under contract to Paramount, she was underused in small parts (as a blond) during the 1930s and left acting for a brief time.

In the 1940s Lupino emerged as a leading lady in roles that played on her maturity and grit. Small but not fragile, she stood out in They Drive By Night (1940) and High Sierra (1941, both starring Humphrey Bogart), The Hard Way (1942) and Road House (1948).

Lupino then wrote the screenplay and produced a second feature about an unmarried mother, Not Wanted, in 1949. When the director dropped out due to illness, Lupino took over and directed the film (uncredited). The movie was a box office success.

The second woman to be allowed into the Director’s Guild of America, Lupino went on to produce and direct several films, including parts of the Nicholas Ray film On Dangerous Ground (1951, also uncredited).

Lupino’s films of that era include Outrage (1950), Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951) and The Hitch-Hiker (1953).

She drifted toward television, and she and her third husband, Howard Duff, starred in a sitcom, Mr. Adams and Eve (1957-58) that brought two Emmy nominations for Lupino.

Behind the camera, Lupino became a busy TV director, and often appeared in guest roles in a wide variety of television productions.

Her other films as an actress include The Sea Wolf (1941) and Junior Bonner (1972, starring Steve McQueen).