Biography
A graduate of El Camino College and U.S.C., Lewis John Carlino first gained attention as a novelist and off-Broadway playwright. Carlino burst onto the Hollywood scene with his screenplay for
Seconds (1966), a "thinking man's" sci-fier based on a novel by David Ely. Carlino's follow-up scripting assignments were equally impressive:
The Brotherhood (1968) was arguably the best of the pre-
Godfather Mafia films, while
The Mechanic (1973) demonstrated what was lost when
Charles Bronson abandoned genuine acting in favor of the
Death Wish series. With the dreamlike
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea (1976), Carlino launched his directorial career, which thus far has yielded only the 1979 critic's favorite
The Great Santini (1979) and the frivolous sex comedy
Class (1983). In 1977, Lewis John Carlino received an Academy Award nomination for his film adaptation of Hannah Green's novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide