Dan O'Bannon has only ever been plumber for a profession.
Daniel Thomas `` Dan '' O'Bannon -LRB- September 30 , 1946 -- December 17 , 2009 -RRB- was an American film screenwriter , director , visual effects supervisor , and occasional actor , usually in the science fiction and horror genres .. screenwriter. screenwriter. director. film director. visual effects supervisor. visual effects supervisor. science fiction. science fiction. horror. Horror fiction. O'Bannon is best known for having written the screenplay for Alien , adapted from a story he wrote with Ronald Shusett .. Alien. Alien ( film ). Ronald Shusett. Ronald Shusett. He also contributed computer animation to Star Wars , worked on cult classics such as Dark Star , Heavy Metal and Total Recall , and both wrote and directed the horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead .. horror. Horror fiction. Star Wars. Star Wars ( film ). Dark Star. Dark Star ( film ). Heavy Metal. Heavy Metal ( film ). Total Recall. Total Recall ( 1990 film ). The Return of the Living Dead. The Return of the Living Dead