Joseph M. Newman

Joseph M. Newman was an American film director most famous for his 1955 film "This Island Earth". He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the now defunct category of Assistant Director, for "David Copperfield" and "San Francisco". He was also the last person nominated Assistant Director to die. Newman also served as a major with the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. While there, he directed the short film "Diary of a Sergeant" (1945) starring Harold Russell which led to Russell's appearance in "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946).