A veteran of the First World War, renowned yesteryear filmmaker and screenwriter William A. Wellman`s greatest legacy is the 1937 romantic drama film A Star is Born, which he co-wrote and directed. An evergreen classic that recounted the tragic love story of a waning star and his gifted ingenue, the film won Wellman an Academy Award for Best Story in 1938; and has since been remade three times - in 1954, 1976 and 2018.

Besides this, Wellman is also credited with the unique achievement of directing the silent war film Wings (1927), which was the first ever movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture. In an illustrious career spanning around four decades, the celebrated filmmaker directed as many as 81 movies, and received 3 Oscar nominations in the Best Director category. Notable directorial credits include Chinatown Nights (1929), The Public Enemy (1931), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Battleground (1949) and The High and the Mighty (1954).