Milius, John

John Frederick Milius (; born April 11, 1944) is an American filmmaker. He is considered a major figure of the New Hollywood era. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s for writing the scripts for The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Jeremiah Johnson (also 1972), and the first two Dirty Harry films. He made his directorial debut with the film Dillinger (1973), followed by The Wind and the Lion (1975) and Big Wednesday (1978). In 1980, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Apocalypse Now, which he co-wrote with Francis Ford Coppola. During the 1980s, Milius established himself as a director of action and adventure films, with Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Red Dawn (1984). He was also a sought-after script doctor. He later served as the co-creator of the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Rome (2005–2007). Off-screen, Milius is known for his eccentric personality and libertarian political views, variously and contradictorily self-described as a "Zen anarchist", "right-wing extremist", and "Maoist". He served as a director of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). Milius is also one of the creators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he helped to create the octagon-shaped cage, and his association helped provide interest and investors to the startup UFC.