Writing

Lukas Heller

Born — Died

1930-07-21 — 1988-11-02

Place of birth

Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Known for

Writing

Credits

15 titles

Lukas Heller (21 July 1930 – 2 November 1988) was a German-born British screenwriter. Heller was born to a Jewish family in Kiel. His father was political philosopher Hermann Heller. He was known for writing the screen adaptions for several Robert Aldrich films such as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964); for the later film he won an Edgar Award with Henry Farrell, who wrote the source text for both films.

Known for

The Dirty Dozen poster
7.6

12 American military prisoners in World War II are ordered to infiltrate a well-guarded enemy château and kill the Nazi officers vacationing there. The soldiers, most of whom are facing death sentences for a variety of violent crimes, agree to the mission and the possible commuting of their sentences.

The Dirty Dozen

1967

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? poster
7.9

A former vaudeville child star viciously torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

1962

Monte Walsh poster
6.3

Monte Walsh is an aging cowboy facing the ending days of the Wild West era. As barbed wire and railways steadily eliminate the need for the cowboy, Monte and his friends are left with fewer and fewer options. New work opportunities are available to them, but the freedom of the open prarie is what they long for. Eventually, they all must say goodbye to the lives they knew, and try to make a new start.

Monte Walsh

1970

The Flight of the Phoenix poster
7.2

A cargo aircraft crashes in a sandstorm in the Sahara with less than a dozen men on board. One of the passengers is an airplane designer who comes up with the idea of ripping off the undamaged wing and using it as the basis for a replacement aircraft they need to build before their food and water run out.

The Flight of the Phoenix

1965

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
7.3

An aging, reclusive Southern belle plagued by a horrifying family secret descends into madness after the arrival of a lost relative.

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

1964

Too Late the Hero poster
6.4

A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

Too Late the Hero

1970

Behind the camera

The Dirty Dozen poster
7.6

12 American military prisoners in World War II are ordered to infiltrate a well-guarded enemy château and kill the Nazi officers vacationing there. The soldiers, most of whom are facing death sentences for a variety of violent crimes, agree to the mission and the possible commuting of their sentences.

The Dirty Dozen

1967

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? poster
7.9

A former vaudeville child star viciously torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

1962

Monte Walsh poster
6.3

Monte Walsh is an aging cowboy facing the ending days of the Wild West era. As barbed wire and railways steadily eliminate the need for the cowboy, Monte and his friends are left with fewer and fewer options. New work opportunities are available to them, but the freedom of the open prarie is what they long for. Eventually, they all must say goodbye to the lives they knew, and try to make a new start.

Monte Walsh

1970

The Flight of the Phoenix poster
7.2

A cargo aircraft crashes in a sandstorm in the Sahara with less than a dozen men on board. One of the passengers is an airplane designer who comes up with the idea of ripping off the undamaged wing and using it as the basis for a replacement aircraft they need to build before their food and water run out.

The Flight of the Phoenix

1965

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
7.3

An aging, reclusive Southern belle plagued by a horrifying family secret descends into madness after the arrival of a lost relative.

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

1964

Too Late the Hero poster
6.4

A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

Too Late the Hero

1970

Damnation Alley poster
5.2

Following World War III, four survivors at a desert military installation attempt to drive across the desolate wasteland of America to Albany, where they hope more survivors are living, using a specially built vehicles to protect themselves against the freakish weather, mutated plant and animal life, and other dangers encountered along the way.

Damnation Alley

1977

Hot Enough for June poster
5.7

A young man travels to Prague to join his new employer, unaware that he is being used as an espionage courier.

Hot Enough for June

1964

Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil poster
4.9

The two-part TV movie Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil crystallizes that evil by concentrating on two Berlin brothers. In 1931, Helmut Hoffman a brilliant student and self-styled opportunist, joins Hitler's SS. At the same time, his younger brother Karl, a top athlete and idealist, becomes a chauffeur for the "S.A.".

Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil

1985

The Killing of Sister George poster
6.3

The life of a soap opera actress begins to unravel as she fears her character will be written out of the series.

The Killing of Sister George

1968

Blue City poster
4.8

Returning to the small Florida town where he grew up, Billy Turner learns that his father has been killed. With little help from the police, Billy will take matters into his own hands and go up against a ruthless local mob boss in a desperate search to find the killer.

Blue City

1986

The Deadly Trackers poster
6.0

Sheriff Sean Kilpatrick is a pacifist. Frank Brand is the leader of a band of killers. When their paths cross Kilpatrick is compelled to go against everything he has stood for to bring death to Brand and his gang. Through his hunt into Mexico he is challenged by a noble Mexican Sheriff interested only in carrying out the law - not vengeance.

The Deadly Trackers

1973

Son of Hitler poster
5.8

The leader of a right-wing German political party discovers that an illiterate woodcarver is actually the son of Adolf Hitler.

Son of Hitler

1979

Never Back Losers poster
5.0

Two rival gangs are trying to fix horse races and a jockey is attacked and left for dead in a stage-managed car crash. An insurance investigator makes routine enquiries into the "accident" and one of the gang leaders feels threatened by this and takes counter measures.

Never Back Losers

1961

Candidate for Murder poster
NR

Professional killer Kersten arrives in England and is hired by Donald Edwards to murder his wife Helene. But Helene's lover Robert Vaughan discovers the plot and he trails Kersten and Edwards to a country cottage.

Candidate for Murder

1962