After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature movies in a 50 year career. He rose to fame for his stylish movie mysteries such as "Laura" (1944) and "Fallen Angel" (1945). In the 1950s and 1960s, he directed a number of high-profile adaptations of popular novels and stage works. Several of these pushed the boundaries of censorship by dealing with topics which were then taboo in Hollywood, such as drug addiction ("The Man with the Golden Arm", 1955), rape ("Anatomy of a Murder", 1959) and gay ("Advise & Consent", 1962). He was twice nominated for the Best Director Academy Award. He also had a few acting roles.