Director, screenwriter and actor John Landis was born on August 3, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois. A successful director, John Landis is best known for his comedies, which include National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), and Trading Places (1983). He started out his career in the mail room at 20th Century Fox and soon found other behind-the-scenes jobs, including working as a stuntman. Landis was also a member of the crew for the film Kelly's Heroes (1970), a World War II comedy starring Clint Eastwood, Don Rickles and Telly Savalas. An admirer of John Ford and Billy Wilder, he wanted to become a director. His first effort was the 1973 horror comedy Schlock, for which he wrote the screenplay. Landis also starred in it as the title character—a monster created by makeup artist Rick Baker.