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Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy | |
|---|---|
 LeRoy in 1958 | |
| Born | (1900-10-15)October 15, 1900 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 13, 1987(1987-09-13) (aged 86) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) |
| Occupation | Film director & producer |
| Years active | 1928–1968 |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | Linda Janklow Warner LeRoy (1935–2001) |
Mervyn LeRoy (October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director, film producer, author, and occasional actor.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
3 Personal life
4 Later life
5 Other interests
6 Partial filmography
7 References
8 External links
Early life
LeRoy was born on October 15, 1900[1] in San Francisco, to Jewish parents,[2] Edna (née Armer) and Harry LeRoy.[3][4] His family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake that destroyed his father's import-export business. To make money, young Mervyn sold newspapers in front of the Alcazar Theater after his dad's death in 1910. From this newspaper sales location, he was given a bit part for a play. Through his winning a Charlie Chaplin impersonation contest, he moved into vaudeville then minor parts in silent movies.[1]
Career
LeRoy worked in costumes, processing labs and as a camera assistant until he became a gag writer and actor in silent films, including The Ten Commandments in 1923. LeRoy credits Ten Commandments director, Cecil B. DeMille, for inspiring him to become a director: "As the top director of the era, DeMille had been the magnet that had drawn me to his set as often as I could go."[5] Leroy also credits DeMille for teaching him the directing techniques required to make his own films.[5]
His first directing job was in 1928's No Place to Go.[1] When his movies made lots of money without costing too much, he became well received in the movie business. He directed two key films which launched Edward G. Robinson into major stardom, the Oscar-nominated critique of tabloid journalism Five Star Final (1931),[citation needed] and the classic gangster film Little Caesar (1931), which made his mark.[1] From that point forward, LeRoy would be responsible for a diverse variety of films as a director and producer.[citation needed] LeRoy ended up working at Warner Bros..[6] In 1938 he was chosen as head of production at MGM,[6] where he was responsible for the decision to make The Wizard of Oz.[7] He was responsible for discovering Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Robert Mitchum[citation needed] and Lana Turner.[1]
In the 1950s, LeRoy directed such musicals as Lovely to Look At, Million Dollar Mermaid, Latin Lovers and Rose Marie. He moved to Warner Brothers, where he was responsible for such famous films as Mister Roberts, The Bad Seed, No Time for Sergeants, The FBI Story and Gypsy.
He was nominated in 1943 for Best Director for Random Harvest, and also in 1940 as the producer of The Wizard of Oz. In addition, he received an honorary Oscar in 1946 for The House I Live In, "for tolerance short subject", and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1976.[1]
A total of eight movies Mervyn LeRoy directed or co-directed were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, one of the highest numbers among all directors.
Personal life
LeRoy married three times and had many relationships with Hollywood actresses. He was first married to Elizabeth Edna Murphy in 1927, which ended in divorce in 1933. During their separation, LeRoy dated Ginger Rogers, but they ended the relationship and stayed lifelong friends. In 1934, he married Doris Warner, the daughter of Warner Bros. founder, Harry Warner. The couple had one son, Warner LeRoy and one daughter, Linda LeRoy Janklow (married to Morton L. Janklow).[1] His son, Warner LeRoy, became a restaurateur. The marriage ended in divorce in 1942. In 1946, he married Kathryn "Kitty" Priest Rand, a gentile who was previously married to Sidney M. Spiegel (the co-founder of Essaness Theatres and grandson of Joseph Spiegel); and to restaurateur Ernie Byfield).[8][9] They remained married until his death. LeRoy also sold his Bel Air, Los Angeles home to Johnny Carson.[10]
Later life
LeRoy retired in 1965 and wrote his autobiography, Take One, in 1974.[citation needed] After being bed ridden for six months, LeRoy died of natural causes and heart issues in Beverly Hills, California at age 86. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[1] On February 8, 1960, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street, for his contributions to the motion pictures industry.[11][12]
Other interests
A fan of thoroughbred horse racing, Mervyn LeRoy was a founding member of the Hollywood Turf Club, operator of the Hollywood Park Racetrack[1] and a member of the track's board of directors from 1941 until his death in 1987.[13] In partnership with father-in-law, Harry Warner, he operated a racing stable, W-L Ranch Co., during the 1940s/50s.[citation needed]
Partial filmography
LeRoy directed or produced
- As director, unless otherwise noted.
The Ghost Breaker (1922) (uncredited actor only)
My American Wife (1922) (uncredited actor only)
Prodigal Daughters (1923) (actor only)
Little Johnny Jones (1923) (actor only)
The Call of the Canyon (1923) (actor only)
Broadway After Dark (1924) (actor only)
No Place to Go (1927) (directoral debut[1])
Naughty Baby (1928)
Hot Stuff (1929)
Little Johnny Jones (1929)
Little Caesar (1931)[1]
Five Star Final (1931)
Tonight or Never (1931)
High Pressure (1932)
The Heart of New York (1932)
Two Seconds (1932)
Three on a Match (1932)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Elmer, the Great (1933)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Tugboat Annie (1933)
The World Changes (1933)
Hi Nellie! (1934)
Heat Lightning (1934)
Happiness Ahead (1934)
Sweet Adeline (1934)
Oil for the Lamps of China (1935)
Page Miss Glory (1935)
I Found Stella Parish (1935)
Anthony Adverse (1936)
They Won't Forget (1937) (producer and uncredited director) starring Lana Turner[1]
Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937) (producer only)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) MGM, producer only[1]
Waterloo Bridge (1940) nominated for an Academy Award[1]
Escape (1940) (director and producer)
Blossoms in the Dust (1941) (director and co-producer)
Johnny Eager (1942) (director and co-producer)
Random Harvest (1942) nominated for an Academy Award[1]
Madame Curie (1943)
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo[1] (1944)
The House I Live In (1945) co-producer and uncredited director, won Academy Award: Special[1]
Without Reservations (1946)
Homecoming (1948)
Little Women (1949) nominated for an Academy Award,[1] director and producer
East Side, West Side[1] (1949)
Any Number Can Play (1949)
Quo Vadis[1] (1951)
Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
Latin Lovers (1953)
Mister Roberts (1955) (co-director)
The Bad Seed (1956) (director and producer)
Toward the Unknown (1956) (director and producer)
No Time for Sergeants[1] (1958) (director and producer)
Home Before Dark (1958) (director and producer)
The FBI Story[1] (1959) (director and producer)
The Devil at 4 O'Clock[1] (1961)
A Majority of One (1961)
Gypsy[1] (1962) (director and producer)
Mary, Mary (1963) (director and producer)
Moment to Moment (1966) (director and producer)
The Green Berets (1968) (uncredited co-director)
References
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx "Producer Mervyn LeRoy dies". Lodi News-Sentinel. United Press International. September 14, 1987. p. 3. Retrieved May 12, 2017 – via Google News..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Mervyn LeRoy – Biography, Bruce Eder, Allmovie
^ Peter B. Flint (1987-09-14). "Mervyn LeRoy, 86, Dies - Director and Producer". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
^ "Whither Quo Vadis: Sienkiewicz's Novel in Film and Television - Ruth Scodel, Anja Bettenworth - Google Books". Books.google.com. p. 215. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
^ ab Tibbetts, John C. ed. American Classic Screen Profiles, Scarecrow Press (2010) p. 175
^ ab Hay, Peter (1991). MGM: When the Lion Roars. Georgia: Turner Publishing, Inc. pp. 169–170.|access-date=requires|url=(help) via Rudolph, Kalie (28 June 2011). "The Golden Era of Hollywood: The Making of The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind". Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review. 3 (1). Retrieved May 12, 2017.
^ Harmetz, Aljean (1977). The Making of the Wizard of Oz. New York: Alfred K. Knopf. p. 3.|access-date=requires|url=(help) via Rudolph, Kalie (28 June 2011). "The Golden Era of Hollywood: The Making of The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind". Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review. 3 (1). Retrieved May 12, 2017.
^ Los Angeles Times: "Kathryn LeRoy; Philanthropist, Civic Leader" February 08, 1996
^ Chicago Jewish History: "Ernest Byfield: The Pump Room and The Pageant" by William Roth September 2006
^ Zannella, Michael (November 25, 1974). "The Johnny Carsons". People Magazine. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "Mervyn LeRoy | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
^ "Mervyn LeRoy". latimes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
^ [1] Archived February 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mervyn LeRoy. |
Mervyn LeRoy on IMDb
Mervyn LeRoy at the TCM Movie Database
Mervyn leRoy at Virtual History
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