William Keighley | |
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Born |
William Jackson Keighley August 4, 1889 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Died | June 24, 1984 New York City, New York |
(aged 94)
Spouse(s) |
Elda Voelkel (1931–1936) Genevieve Tobin (1938–1984) |
William Jackson Keighley (August 4, 1889, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 24, 1984, New York, New York) was an American stage actor and Hollywood film director.
After graduating from the Ludlum School of Dramatic Art, Keighley began acting at the age of 23. By the 1910s and 1920s, he was acting and directing on Broadway. With the advent of talking pictures, he relocated to Hollywood. He eventually signed with Warner Bros., where he proved adept at directing in a wide variety of genres. He was the initial director of The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, but was replaced by Michael Curtiz. During World War II, he supervised the First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces. He retired in 1953 and moved to Paris with his actress wife Genevieve Tobin. In retirement he became an award-winning, renowned still photographer.