Mervyn LeRoy

Biography

Mervyn LeRoy was an American film director, producer, and sometime actor. 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 with First National Pictures on 1927's No Place to Go. LeRoy ended up working at Warner Bros. after they took control of First National. 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, and the classic gangster film Little Caesar, which made his mark. From that point forward, LeRoy would be responsible for a diverse variety of films as a director and producer. The following year's I Am a Fugitive from a Cha…

Directed

1. Quo Vadis (1951) — Director
2. Little Caesar (1931) — Director
3. The Bad Seed (1956) — Director
4. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) — Director
5. Little Women (1949) — Director
6. Waterloo Bridge (1940) — Director
7. Mister Roberts (1955) — Director
8. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) — Director
9. Random Harvest (1942) — Director
10. Gypsy (1962) — Director
11. Three on a Match (1932) — Director
12. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) — Director
13. No Time for Sergeants (1958) — Director
14. Madame Curie (1943) — Director
15. Johnny Eager (1941) — Director
16. The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) — Director
17. Five Star Final (1931) — Director
18. The FBI Story (1959) — Director
19. Anthony Adverse (1936) — Director
20. Blossoms in the Dust (1941) — Director
21. They Won't Forget (1937) — Director
22. Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) — Director
23. East Side, West Side (1949) — Director
24. Two Seconds (1932) — Director
25. The House I Live In (1945) — Director
26. Home Before Dark (1958) — Director
27. Without Reservations (1946) — Director
28. Heat Lightning (1934) — Director
29. Hard to Handle (1933) — Director
30. A Majority of One (1961) — Director
31. Escape (1940) — Director
32. Moment to Moment (1966) — Director
33. Toward the Unknown (1956) — Director
34. Any Number Can Play (1949) — Director
35. Big City Blues (1932) — Director
36. Homecoming (1948) — Director
37. Hi, Nellie! (1934) — Director
38. Lovely to Look At (1952) — Director
39. High Pressure (1932) — Director
40. Tonight or Never (1931) — Director

Also appeared in

1. The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) — Self
2. This Is Your Life (1952) — Self
3. You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (2008) — Self (archive footage)
4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic (1990) — Self (archive footage)
5. Tonight Starring Jack Paar (1957) — Self
6. The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (1988) — Self (archive footage)
7. You Can't Fool a Camera (1941) — Himself
8. The Making of a Great Motion Picture (1936)
9. Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983) — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
10. Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (1940) — Self
11. Prodigal Daughters (1923) — Newsboy
12. The Making of the Wizard of Oz (1979) — Self
13. 42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage (2006) — Self (archive footage)
14. James Stewart: A Wonderful Life (1987) — Self (archive footage)
15. The Chorus Lady (1924) — Duke (the jockey)
16. Broadway After Dark (1924) — Carl Fisher
17. My American Wife (1922) — Extra
18. Going Up (1923) — The Bellboy
19. Little Johnny Jones (1923) — George Nelson, Jockey
20. The Call of the Canyon (1923) — Jack Rawlins
21. Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady (1982)
22. Rome, the Eternal City (1951) — Self