Screenwriter, playwright, author, b. New York City, 1894. Born to Russian immigrant parents, Hecht's father Joseph worked in the garment industry and brought his family to Racine in 1903 where he designed women's clothing which his wife Sarah sold in their store.  Hecht attended public school in Racine before moving to Chicago in 1910 to work for the Chicago Daily News as a crime reporter. He moved to Hollywood in 1926 at the suggestion of a friend and became an immediate success as a scriptwriter and script doctor. Six of his approximately 70 scripts were nominated for Oscars, two of which one: Underworld (1929) and The Scoundrel (1935). Hecht frequently worked with Charles McArthur, collaborating to produce, among other things, the play The Front Page. Besides scripts, Hecht wrote 28 books, 20 plays and hundreds of articles and short stories.  A fervent Zionist, he applied his writing skills to promoting and defending Israel.  He died in New York City in April 1964.

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[Source: "The Los Angeles Times," April 19, 1964; "Ben Hecht: the Man Behind the Legend," by William MacAdams; www.imdb.com (Internet Movie Database)]