Director Sam Peckinpah was born Feb. 21, 1925, in Fresno, Calif. The former Marine began his career in television, writing scripts for "Gunsmoke" and "Zane Grey Theater." His first film directing effort, The Deadly Companions, premiered in 1961, but it wasn't until The Wild Bunch (considered incredibly violent for the time) came out in 1969 that Peckinpah earned the nickname "Bloody Sam."

An intense personality with an abrasive manner, Peckinpah continued to stir up controversy with Straw Dogs (1971), going on to direct Steve McQueen in The Getaway the following year. But not all his films were marked by a high body count, as evidenced in the Western comedies The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970) and Junior Bonner (1972).

Before his death from a stroke in 1984, Peckinpah also helmed Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974).