James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American
screenwriter and
novelist, who scripted films including
Roman Holiday,
Exodus,
Spartacus, and
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. One of the
Hollywood Ten, he refused to testify before the
House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 during the committee's investigation of
Communist influences in the motion picture industry, and was subsequently
blacklisted by that industry. He continued working clandestinely, and his uncredited work won two
Academy Awards; the one for
Roman Holiday (1953) was given to a
front writer, and the one for
The Brave One (1956) was awarded to a pseudonym. The public crediting of him as the writer of both
Exodus and
Spartacus in 1960 marked the end of the Hollywood Blacklist, and his earlier achievements were eventually credited to him.