9 Careers That Were Ruined By The Hollywood Blacklist - Screen Rant

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The House Un-American Activities Committee was founded as an attempt to root out supposed communist influences within the U.S. in the 1940s and '50s. One of HUAC's primary targets was many of the writers, directors, actors, and journalists from Hollywood who had been accused of harboring communist sympathies.

By refusing to cooperate with the HUAC, many people saw their careers cut short, temporarily stalled, or all-out ruined by the Hollywood blacklist. Though actors and directors such as Charlie Chaplin had already cemented their names in movie history, several careers were forever derailed because they were barred from the studio system.

Bertolt Brecht

German playwright Bertolt Brecht was already an established figure within the arts community of Europe when he tried his hand at screenwriting for Hollywood films. Unfortunately, according to Britannica, he was suddenly blacklisted by the studio system in 1947 and called to testify before the HUAC. He initially refused but later did testify before the committee.

Brecht, after being blacklisted by the studio system was later ostracized by a community who felt as if he had betrayed them by testifying. Brecht returned to Europe and lived out his remaining days doing very little of the work that made him famous.

Ring Lardner Jr.

The Hollywood Ten were a group of unfriendly witnesses called before the HUAC to testify but they either outright refused or didn't answer in a way that the committee deemed appropriate. Ring Lardner Jr. was one of the highest profile members of the Ten and his career suffered because he refused to cooperate.

Having written several successful screenplays, The Hollywood Reporter details how Lardner was then jailed for his refusal to cooperate with HUAC. Though he briefly returned to the spotlight in 1970 with his screenplay for the 1970s classic M*A*S*H, Lardner never returned to the brief heights of success he saw before he was jailed.

Dashiell Hammett

Few authors had as much impact on film noir as Dashiell Hammett. His many stories have been adapted into hit films including the Humphrey Bogart classic The Maltese Falcon, and he even wrote his own screenplays on a few occasions. Unfortunately for Hammett, his involvement with certain political groups jeopardized his career.

According to the University of South Carolina, after testifying before HUAC in 1953, Hammett was ostensibly blacklisted from Hollywood and his career took a hit. Though he had once been at the pinnacle of success for a writer, Hammett fell into poverty in the later years of his life due in large part to his blacklisting from Hollywood.

Lee Grant

Though the blacklist ruined many careers, for some it merely stalled them or took them in a different direction entirely. Lee Grant was a young actress with promise when she earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Detective Story, however she was suddenly blacklisted because of her criticism of the HUAC and her career tanked.

Fortunately, she made a return to acting after a decade on the blacklist and had successfully transitioned into documentary filmmaking. It is uncertain what could have been of her career in the intervening twelve years that she was blacklisted but even Grant implied that she had lost valuable time. In the Hollywood Reporter she stated "The ramifications of starting over when Hollywood stars were kind of on the descent were huge."

Charlie Chaplin

By the 1950s, comedy legend Charlie Chaplin had already made most of his greatest films, and he was in the twilight of his career. However, the British born actor and director was called before the HUAC to testify and in doing so he sealed his own fate forever.

Chaplin maintained an aloof manner with the committee and, according to The Telegraph, merely insisted that he wasn't an activist and only a filmmaker. Unfortunately for Chaplin, he departed the U.S. for his home nation and was forced to stay there upon learning that he would be arrested immediately if he returned to the U.S. Though Chaplin's career was cemented, it is possible that his final years could have resulted in more comedy magic in Hollywood.

Lena Horne

After working her way to Hollywood, actress Lena Horne quickly found herself rejected by the system that she aspired to be a part of. Because of her political affiliations and outspokenness, Horne was blacklisted from the studio system in the 1950s and ostensibly left the silver screen forever.

Returning to her roots as a night-club singer, Horne refined her craft and became a staple of television variety shows throughout the ensuing decades after her blacklisting. Horne also dedicated herself to the causes of civil rights and was a prominent figure in the movement in the 1960s.

Pete Seeger

Pioneering folk singer Pete Seeger was responsible for some of the most memorable songs of his generation, many of which are still sung today in one form or another. Seeger was also outspokenly political in his personal life and music which drew the ire of the HUAC. When testifying before the committee he refused to divulge any information about himself and was subsequently blacklisted.

According to The Guardian, by missing out on opportunities in television and radio, Seeger was relegated to cult status and he largely missed the folk revival. Though he would become a favorite of the next generation of artists, such as Bob Dylan, Seeger himself never rose to the same heights as others of his time.

Orson Welles

Though many artists were openly blacklisted for their supposed political activities, legendary actor and director Orson Welles' career subtly followed that of many other blacklisted individuals. According to World Socialist Website, Welles' career-defining classic Citizen Kane drew the ire of many anti-communists who saw it as critical of noted anti-communist William Randolph Hearst.

Though Welles was never called before the HUAC, his self imposed exile to Europe and his subsequent disillusion with Hollywood happened at the height of the HUAC's reign. Though many of Welles' great works have stood the test of time, it is possible that many more classics were lost because of the persecution of Welles and his exile away from Hollywood.

Dalton Trumbo

Perhaps the most notorious member of the Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo's career has become synonymous with blacklisting and he is seen as one of the great casualties of that period. According to The Guardian, when called before the HUAC, Trumbo refused to testify or give names, so for years he was barred from ever directly working.

Interestingly enough, Trumbo continued to work in secret and actually wrote some of his best work under a pseudonym. Even in Hollywood exile, Trumbo wrote the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick's classic film Spartacus and was called on, in secret, to pen others as well.

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About The Author

Dalton Norman (88 Articles Published)

Dalton is a freelance writer and novelist from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Los Angeles and pursues writing full time. He is an avid reader and film buff.