Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 - August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, inventor, screenwriter, and film director.

He is credited as being the first screenwriter to find success as a director. Prior to Sturges, other Hollywood directors (such as Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith and Frank Capra) had directed films from their own scripts; however, Sturges is often regarded