Biography
John Frederick Milius is an American screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures. He was one of the writers for the first two Dirty Harry films, received an Academy Award nomination as screenwriter of Apocalypse Now, and wrote and directed The Wind and the Lion, Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn. He wrote a number of iconic film lines such as "Charlie don't surf" and "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," from Apocalypse Now, and the famous Dirty Harry one-liners delivered by C...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Megalopolis
2024
Thanks
Genius artist Cesar Catilina seeks to leap the City of New Rome into a utopian, idealistic future, while his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, remain...

A Riddle of Steel: The Definitive History of Conan the Barbarian
2019
as Self (archive footage)
The story of Conan the Cimmerian, from Robert E. Howard's pulp fiction anti-hero to pop culture icon.

Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
2019
as Self - Filmmaker
The history of the peplum genre, known as sword-and-sandal cinema, set in Antiquity, from the silent film era to the present day.

Made in Hollywood: Die Welt des Raoul Walsh
2017
as Self
Documentary about Raoul Walsh

The Lotus Gun
2015
Thanks
The year is 2077. Society has collapsed. There are no cities, no guns. Just wanderers trying to survive. Nora and Daphine live an idyllic life alone a...

Milius
2013
as Self
The life story of ‘Zen Anarchist’ filmmaker John Milius, one of the most influential storytellers of his generation.

Jaws: The Inside Story
2010
as Self
Steven Spielberg takes us behind the cameras for the making of a classic movie.
Hollywood Gangster
2008
as Self
Documentary about American gangster movies.

A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
Filmmakers, social scientists and authors take a provocative look at the moral, political and ethical themes of the Dirty Harry films.

The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
An in-depth look at Dirty Harry (1971), featuring interviews with such film artists as Michael Madsen, 'Hal Holbrook', John Milius, 'Shane Black' and ...

Between the Lines: The True Story of Surfers and the Vietnam War
2008
as Narrator
BETWEEN THE LINES explores the Vietnam War through the prism of the surfing sub-culture. The film looks at the dramatic effect that the Vietnam War an...

The Business End: Violence in Cinema
2008
as Self
An unflinching look at the ongoing debate on violence in movies and its effect on the audience.

The Craft of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
A look at the cinematographers, editors, musicians, production designers and other talent of the Dirty Harry series.

The Evolution of Clint Eastwood
2008
as Self
Follow Eastwood's career from television star to matinee idol to Oscar-winning director in this wide-ranging documentary.

The Searchers: An Appreciation
2006
as Self
Three directors (Curtis Hanson, Martin Scorsese and John Milius) discuss the movie "The Searchers."

A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
2004
as Self
A fascinating chronicle of the birth and rise of the radically different independent studio founded by director Francis Ford Coppola.

Riding Giants
2004
as John Milius
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

An Opera of Violence
2003
as Self - Filmmaker
First part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released in...

The Wages of Sin
2003
as Self - Filmmaker
Second part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released i...

Something to Do with Death
2003
as Self - Filmmaker
Third part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released in...

Discovering Treasure: The Story of 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'
2003
as Narrator (voice)
An overview of the making of John Huston's 1948 classic "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."

Frazetta: Painting with Fire
2003
as Self
A documentary on the life of painter Frank Frazetta, who revolutionized science fiction, fantasy and comic art with breathtaking realistic paintings o...

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
2003
as Self
The chronicle of the mind-blowing journey that was Hollywood during the seventies; the true and gripping story of the last golden age of American cine...

Iron and Beyond
2002
as Self - Director
This short documentary explores just how the film Pumping Iron revolutionized the fitness industry and created an international icon in Arnold Schwarz...

Dirty Harry: The Original
2001
as Self - Screenwriter
A retrospective look at the five Dirty Harry films (1971-88), starring Clint Eastwood.
Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul
2001
as Self
Documentary about legendary Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis who's credits range from Fellini's La Strada to today's Hannibal franchise. This profi...

The Bridge on the River Kwai: An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius
2000
as Self
Filmmaker John Milius discusses David Lean's classic Academy Award winner "The Bridge on the River Kwai."

Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
2000
as Self
Nearly all the cast and crew are on hand to give stories and memories about the making of the film. Plenty of detail on every aspect of the film from ...

Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales
1999
as Narrator
John Milius narrates this featurette on the Clint Eastwood classic.

A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and 'The Searchers'
1998
as Self (voice)
Documentary on the making of "The Searchers" (1956), starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford, with outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage and inter...

In the Teeth of Jaws
1997
as Self
BBC documentary about the making of Steven Spielberg's Jaws.

The Making of '1941'
1996
as Self
A non-narrated documentary, told mainly in interviews with the filmmakers, on the making of the cult comedy classic, featuring outtakes, rare behind-t...

Shotgun Freeway: Drives Through Lost L.A.
1995
as self
Before "L.A. Confidential", there was "Shotgun Freeway" -- the groundbreaking 1995 documentary about Los Angeles coming to grips with it's own history...

Motorcycle Gang
1994
Director
Cal and his family are driving to their new home in California and are terrorized by a motorcycle gang along the highway.

Clear and Present Danger
1994
Screenplay
Agent Jack Ryan becomes acting Deputy Director of Intelligence for the CIA when Admiral Greer is diagnosed with cancer. When an American businessman, ...

Geronimo: An American Legend
1993
Story, Screenplay
The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of cor...

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
1991
as Self
A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming o...

Flight of the Intruder
1991
Director
U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Jake Grafton and his bombardier buddy, Lt. Cmdr. Virgil Cole, are two soldiers embedded in the Vietnam War growing frustrated by t...

First Works
1989
as Self
It's a mixed bag in the age of illuminating DVD supplements, but First Works effectively demonstrates the early promise of 13 successful filmmakers. C...

Farewell to the King
1989
Director, Screenplay
An American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during WWII becomes the leader of a personal empire among...

Extreme Prejudice
1987
Story
A Texas Ranger and a ruthless narcotics kingpin - they were childhood friends, now they are adversaries...

Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away
1986
as Self
This 1986 documentary features interviews with director Alexander Mackendrick, actor Burt Lancaster, producer James Hill, and others.

Red Dawn
1984
Director, Screenplay
It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town—and their country—from invading Sovie...

Uncommon Valor
1983
Producer
A group of Vietnam War veterans re-unite to rescue one of their own left behind and taken prisoner by the Vietnamese.

Conan the Barbarian
1982
as Foodseller in Old City (uncredited)
A horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. As the sole survivor of ...

Conan the Barbarian
1982
Director, Screenplay
A horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. As the sole survivor of ...

Used Cars
1980
Executive Producer
When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the ...

1941
1979
Executive Producer, Story
In the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, panic grips California, where a military officer leads a mob chasing a Japanese sub.

Apocalypse Now
1979
Writer
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." ...

Hardcore
1979
Executive Producer
A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in search of his runaway teenage daughter who’s making hardcore ...

Big Wednesday
1978
Director, Writer
Three 1960s California surfers fool around, drift apart and reunite years later to ride epic waves.

Crazy Mama
1975
as Cop (uncredited)
Melba Stokes, her mother Sheba and daughter Cheryl embark on a crime spree after their California beauty parlor is repossessed. Their destination is A...

The Wind and the Lion
1975
Writer, Director
At the beginning of the 20th century an American woman is abducted in Morocco by Berbers, and the attempts to free her range from diplomatic pressure ...

Melvin Purvis G-Man
1975
Teleplay, Story
Agent Melvin Purvis is placed in charge of running down notorious killer Machine Gun Kelly, and sets out to do just that.
The Lion Roars Again
1975
as Self
A chronicle of the 1975 International Press Conclave hosted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer over two days in May 1975.

Magnum Force
1973
Screenplay
"Dirty" Harry Callahan is a San Francisco Police Inspector on the trail of a group of rogue cops who have taken justice into their own hands. When sha...

Dillinger
1973
Director, Writer
After a shoot-out kills five FBI agents in Kansas City the Bureau target John Dillinger as one of the men to hunt down. Waiting for him to break Feder...

Marcello, I'm Bored
1973
Director
Marcello, I'm So Bored is a 1966 short animated film co-directed by John Milius and John Strawbridge. An intentionally crude cartoon with a live actio...

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1972
Writer
Outlaw and self-appointed lawmaker Judge Roy Bean rules over an empty stretch of the West that gradually grows, under his iron fist, into a thriving t...

Jeremiah Johnson
1972
Screenplay
A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians when he proves to be the match of th...

Deadhead Miles
1972
as State Trooper
A long-distance trucker, dressed like a sea captain, aimlessly sails the American highways in his 18 wheeler mumbling manic, southern accented non seq...

Evel Knievel
1971
Screenplay
Biography of the famed motorcycle daredevil, much of which was filmed in his home town of Butte, Montana. The film depicts Knievel reflecting on major...

The Devil's Eight
1969
Screenplay
The Devil's 8 is a 1969 film from American International Pictures. It is about a Federal agent (Christopher George) who recruits six convicts to bust ...

The Emperor
1967
Writer
Comments on the background and popularity of disc jockey "Emperor" Bob Hudson, who bases his shows on the idea that radio is a fantasy.