James Ursini holds degrees in theater and film from UCLA and has written and/or co-written (many with Alain Silver) numerous books, including The Noir Style, Film Noir, Film Noir: The Directors, Film Noir Reader, Film Noir Light and Shadow, Film Noir Prototypes, The Fabulous Life and Times of Preston Sturges, Directors on the Edge, The Modern Amazons: Warrior Women On-Screen, and Cinema of Obsession: Erotic Fixation and Love Gone Wrong in the Movies. Ursini has also written for various film magazines and supplied the commentary for numerous classic film noir DVDs. He lectures on filmmaking in the Los Angeles area.