Ida Lupino

British-American actress and director. Born in 1918, Lupino was a leading actress in films of the 1940s and 1950s, often in tough, hard-edged roles. She was also one of the only women directing Hollywood features in her era, co-founding the independent company The Filmmakers to produce and direct low-budget social problem pictures and thrillers, including The Hitch-Hiker (1953) and The Bigamist (1953). She later directed for television. She died in 1995.