Age: 73
male
Steven Zaillian (born January 30, 1953) is an Armenian-American screenwriter, film director, film editor, producer, and founder of Film Rites, a film production company. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Schindler's List and he has been nominated two times for Awakenings and Gangs of New York. The Times called him "the most artful and subtle screenwriter Hollywood has had since Robert Towne." Zaillian was born in Fresno, California, the son of Jim Zaillian, a radio news reporter. He attended Sonoma State University, graduated from San Francisco State University and lives in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Steven Zaillian, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
The story begins on Makin Island on August 17, 1942. U.S. Marine Private First Class C. Miller watches the torture and execution of his team and is about to be executed himself before being rescued by another squad of Marines, led by Corporal Roebuck and Sergeant Tom Sullivan. They then initiate the Makin Island raid, assaulting the Japanese positions on the island. Two years later, Miller's unit then participates in the Battle of Peleliu. After breaking through the Japanese lines on the Peleliu beach, Miller destroys two Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks with rocket strikes, allowing the American tanks to advance. At the end of the mission, Sullivan is fatally stabbed by a Japanese officer with a gunto. Roebuck is promoted to Sergeant and he and his squad make their way through the Peleliu swamps to launch an assault on a Japanese-held airfield to disable anti-aircraft guns. During the assault, Miller acquires a flamethrower to destroy a bunker and a bazooka to blow up the Chi-Has positioned at the airfield.[15] After pushing further inland on Peleliu, Miller and his unit take out enemy mortar crews so their tanks can proceed inland. They then proceed through the Japanese tunnels to attack the artillery-filled Point, one of the major Japanese strongholds that had destroyed many landing boats when they first landed. This allows American ships to advance, and Peleliu finally falls into American hands.[15]
