John Wexley(1907-1985)

An actor and playwright, Wexley came to Hollywood and became a successful screenwriter. Because he spoke German, he was hired to work with fellow playwright Bertolt Brecht on the script to Hangmen Also Die! (1943). A member of the Communist Party, his career came to a sudden end when he was brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee and named as a Communist after working on the film Cornered (1945) and blacklisted in Hollywood because of his political views.