Mervyn LeRoy
| Mervyn LeRoy | |
|---|---|
LeRoy in 1958
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| Born |
October 15, 1900 San Francisco, California |
| Died | September 13, 1987 (aged 86) Beverly Hills, California |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1927–1968 |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Edna Murphy (1927–1933; divorced) Doris Warner (1934–1942; divorced) Katherine "Kitty" Spiegel (1946–1987; his death) |
| Children | Warner LeRoy (1935–2001) |
Mervyn LeRoy (October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director, film producer and occasional actor.
LeRoy was born in San Francisco, to Jewish parents Edna (née Armer) and Harry LeRoy. His family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake. (His paternal grandfather owned a successful San Francisco department store that was destroyed in the quake; the store was heavily insured, but the insurance company went bankrupt in the aftermath of the earthquake.) To make money, young Mervyn sold newspapers and entered talent shows as a singer. Through this he worked his way into vaudeville. When his act broke up, he and his cousin, Jesse Lasky, went to Hollywood.
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." Leroy also credits DeMille for teaching him the directing techniques required to make his own films.
His first directing job was in 1927's No Place to Go. 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), and the classic gangster film Little Caesar (1931). From that point forward, LeRoy would be responsible for a diverse variety of films as a director and producer. In 1938 he was chosen as head of production at MGM, where he was responsible for the decision to make The Wizard of Oz. He was responsible for discovering Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Robert Mitchum and Lana Turner.
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