Ida Lupino was a hard-working film actress as well as being one of the first women directors of film and television. English born, Ida Lupino came to the United States in 1933 after launching a successful career in her homeland. She started at Warner Brothers with modest success, often being on suspension for refusing studio proffered roles. Moving to Columbia Pictures in the late 1940s, Ida began finding herself pulled toward directing, eventually becoming the first actress to produce, direct and write her own films, including 1953’s film noir, The Hitch-Hiker. Ms. Lupino continued acting well into the 1970s, but her directing efforts were now centered on television. The earthy, no-nonsense Ida Lupino seems to be undervalued today, both as an actress and as a pioneer of women directors; perhaps her renaissance will come along someday.
