Donald Richie
Donald Richie was an Americanborn author who wrote about the Japanese people, the culture of Japan, and especially Japanese cinema. Although he considered himself primarily a film historian, Richie also directed a number of experimental films, the first when he was 17.
Richie was born in Lima, Ohio. During World War II, he served aboard Liberty ships as a purser and medical officer. By then he had already published his first work, Tumblebugs , a short story.
Source: Wikipedia