--- ---  # The Real Story Behind the Movie _Trumbo_  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Nov 6, 2015 4:00 PM UTC  Dalton Trumbo poses for a photographer May 17, 1971, in Cannes, France Dalton Trumbo poses for a photographer May 17, 1971, in Cannes, FranceAFP/Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Nov 6, 2015 4:00 PM UTC In the new film _Trumbo_, Bryan Cranston plays the title character, Dalton Trumbo, one of the “Hollywood ten” blacklisted for refusing to cooperate with Congress’ anti-Communist witch hunt during the Cold War. A look at Trumbo’s actual biography reveals that this is one of the cases where the truth of his life was crazier than anything made up by a screenwriter—even one as talented as him. The topsy-turvy tale began in 1947, when Trumbo was summoned to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee and asked whether he had ever been a Communist. “You must have some reason,” he responded, as TIME later noted, “for asking that.” Things only got crazier from there: --- > “” --- In 1960, Trumbo returned triumphantly to the spotlight with the films _Exodus_ and _Spartacus_. TIME joked that “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will have to strain to avoid awarding him an Oscar next spring.” **_Read the full profile of Trumbo, here in the TIME Vault:_** [Out of the Shadows](http://time.com/vault/issue/1961-01-02/page/30/) ### Dalton Trumbo, 1957  Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo holds his finger up to lips as if to say "quiet." John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Trumbo holds a cigarette and purses his lips at the pet bird perched on his chest. John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Happy suspect Dalton Trumbo lives quietly, is rumored to write scripts under assumed names. John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Trumbo sits at his desk with his pet bird. John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Trumbo and his bird. John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Trumbo gazes thoughtfully at his pet bird, perched on a lamp. John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images True Story of Trumbo: TIME Coverage of Dalton Trumbo's Case ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4094143/dalton-trumbo-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4094143/dalton-trumbo-history/"},"headline":"The Real Story Behind the Movie Trumbo","datePublished":"2015-11-06T16:00:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:05.675Z","description":"Bryan Cranston plays the blacklisted screenwriter in a new movie","url":"https://time.com/4094143/dalton-trumbo-history/","keywords":["movies","Cold War"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2649dd2137bc257f/69886efc0a4a222c0f9c6d35/trumbo.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2649dd2137bc257f/69886efc0a4a222c0f9c6d35/trumbo.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"American movie director Dalton Trumbo pose for pho","caption":"American movie director Dalton Trumbo pose for pho","creditText":"AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4094143/dalton-trumbo-history/","name":"The Real Story Behind the Movie Trumbo"}}]}] ```