Biography

Born Julian Lawrence Shapiro on 31 May 1904 in Harlem, John Sanford was a descendant of Russian immigrants, and trained as a lawyer, practising with his father, Philip. A chance encounter with a childhood friend, Nathanael West caused him to change his focus to writing. Abandoning his New York law practice, he published several short stories in literary journals, and then headed west for Hollywood. While a contract screenwriter at Paramount, he met and married Marguerite Roberts who was a screenwriter at MGM. Roberts persuaded him to turn down an offer of employment as a screenwriter at MGM, and concentrate on writing books while she made them a living as a screenwriter.

A Communist for most of his life, both he and his wife refused to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee and were blacklisted by Hollywood for more than a decade. Sanford was the author of 24 published books, including his best known, "A More Goodly Country" published in 1975.

- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous