Mervyn LeRoy

Mervyn LeRoy was married thrice. His first marriage was with actress, Elizabeth Edna Murphy, in 1927 and they divorced 1933.

He married Doris Warner in 1934 and after having two children, divorced her in 1942.

In 1946, he married Katherine Spiegel and this marriage lasted till his death.

Mervyn LeRoy was born on October 15, 1900 at San Francisco, California to Jewish parents Edna (née Armer) and Harry LeRoy.

His paternal grandfather was a successful businessman in San Francisco and owned a departmental store. However, the great earthquake of 1906 completely destroyed the shop and the family was financially ruined.

To earn money, young LeRoy sold newspapers and eventually one of his clients got him a role onstage. He performed in Vaudeville as ‘the Singing Newsboy’ in the act ‘LeRoy and Cooper -Two Kids and a Piano’. Later, he moved on to Hollywood.

In 1919, Mervyn LeRoy began his Hollywood career by working in the costumes department of Famous Players–Lasky, and from there he progressively worked his way up to lab technician and later as assistant cameraman.

Alongside, he also played juvenile roles in silent films from 1922 to 1924, such as in ‘The Ten Commandments’ (1923). Eventually, he became a gag writer for films like ‘Sally’ (1925), ‘Ella Cinders’ (1926), and ‘Twinkletoes’ (1926).

He also picked up some basic direction skills during this period from his inspiration, Director Cecil B. DeMille. His first direction was ‘No Place to Go’ (1927) for Henry Hobart Productions.

In 1927, Warner Brothers signed him and he directed some low-budget films like ‘Harold Teen’ (1928) and Oh Kay! (1928). ‘Naughty Baby’ (1928) and ‘Hot Stuff’ (1929) – both starring Alice White, were some of his initial sound pictures.

In 1930, he directed ‘Numbered Men’, a prison drama and ‘Top Speed’, a musical comedy. In 1931, he directed the immensely successful classic gangster film, ‘Little Caesar’, followed by ‘Five Star Final’ - a critique of tabloid journalism, both starring Edward G. Robinson.

One of LeRoy’s earliest notable films was ‘Little Caesar’ (1931), starring Edward G. Robinson. The film is a classic gangster movie. In the 1930s, most of his films highlighted social issues, the best example being ‘I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang’ (1932). The film was an intense narration of Robert E. Burns’ ghastly experiences in a Georgia prison camp.

His 1936 film ‘Anthony Adverse’ was an immensely successful 18th century costume drama based on a best seller by Hervey Allen; the worldwide travelling protagonist of the film was played by Fredric March.

‘Random Harvest’ (1942) which was based on a touching novel by James Hilton, portrayed a soldier struggling with amnesia after World War I. He falls in love and marries a dancer and goes on to have a child. Later, however, an impact re-establishes his lost memory and he forgets his marriage. The film helped LeRoy earn his only Oscar nomination for best direction.

His World War II classic, ‘Thirty Seconds over Tokyo’ (1944), starring Van Johnson among others, was based on participant Ted Lawson’s account of the first U.S. bombing on Japan in 1942. He also made a short notable documentary about religious tolerance called ‘The House I Live In’ (1945).