Robert Z. Leonard

Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter.

Robert Z. Leonard
Born
Robert Zigler Leonard

(1889-10-07)October 7, 1889
Chicago, Illinois
DiedAugust 27, 1968(1968-08-27) (aged 78)
Beverly Hills, California
Burial placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
OccupationDirector, producer, actor, screenwriter
Years active1908–1957
Spouse(s)Mae Murray (1918–1925)
Gertrude Olmstead (1926–1968)

Biography

He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two forming Tiffany Pictures to film eight motion pictures that were released by MGM.

He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for The Divorcee and The Great Ziegfeld. Both were nominated for Best Picture, and the latter won. Known by his nickname Pop, Leonard was brought in late by MGM as a reliable director who could get its Pride and Prejudice (1940), starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier, onto the big screen.[1] One of the more unusual credits in his filmography is the film noir thriller The Bribe (1949) with its sleazy settings, slippery characters, and steamy atmosphere.

Robert Leonard died in 1968 in Beverly Hills, California of an aneurysm.[2] He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, near his wife Gertrude Olmstead.

Legacy

On February 8, 1960, Robert Leonard received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the motion picture industry, at 6370 Hollywood Blvd.[3][4]

The Master Key [1914].
Robert Z. Leonard, costumed as a U.S. Army first lieutenant during the Civil War, pauses by a window in a scene still for the 1915 silent drama Betty's Dream Hero.

Selected filmography
The Love Girl (1916)

References
  1. Looser, Devoney (2017). The Making of Jane Austen. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 130. ISBN 1421422824.
  2. http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/robert-z-leonard/
  3. "Robert Z. Leonard | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  4. "Robert Z. Leonard". latimes.com. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
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