Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Lewis D. Collins, often known as Lew Collins or Cullen Lewis (12 January 1899–24 August 1954), was an American film director. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Collins' career began in the silent era of the 1920s, in 1922, continuing into the sound era, and he directed about 120 films between then and his death in Hollywood 1954. He directed films such as The Desert Trail in 1935, working with actors such as John Wayne and Paul Fix. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lewis D. Collins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.