**Robert Aldrich (1918-1983)** was an American film director and producer, known for a visceral, often violent and cynical style that explores the corruption of power and the ambiguous nature of heroism. His characters are often anti-heroes, rebels, or outcasts, populating Westerns, war films, noirs, and psychological thrillers.

His atomic noir *Kiss Me Deadly* (1955) is a classic for its nihilism. The Western *Vera Cruz* (1954) influenced the genre. The psychological thriller *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?* (1962), starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, is a cult film. His biggest success was *The Dirty Dozen* (1967), an iconic war film featuring a group of convicts. Other significant works include the war drama *Attack* (1956) and the brutal Western *Ulzana's Raid* (1972). His cinema is characterized by an often pessimistic and disillusioned worldview.