Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, known for films such as Vera Cruz, Kiss Me Deadly, The Big Knife, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Dirty Dozen and The Longest Yard. Aldrich was known for his aggressive and pugnacious film-making style. He began writing and directing for TV series in the early 1950s, and directed his first feature in 1953, Big Leaguer.