Directing

Mervyn LeRoy

Born October 15, 1900 · San Francisco, California, USA

Died September 13, 1987 · aged 86

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 t…

Known For

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz · 1939

The Wizard of Oz

MovieAdventureFantasy

Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.

Quo Vadis

Quo Vadis · 1951

MovieDramaHistory

After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.

The Bad Seed

The Bad Seed · 1956

MovieDramaHorror

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, adore their daughter Rhoda, despite her secret tendency for selfishness. Christine keeps her knowledge of her daughter's darker side to herself, but when a schoolmate of Rhoda's dies mysteriously, her self-deception unravels.

Little Women

Little Women · 1949

MovieRomanceDrama

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Waterloo Bridge

Waterloo Bridge · 1940

Waterloo Bridge

MovieDramaRomance

On the eve of World War II, a British officer revisits Waterloo Bridge and recalls the young man he was at the beginning of World War I and the young ballerina he met just before he left for the front.

Gold Diggers of 1933

Gold Diggers of 1933 · 1933

Gold Diggers of 1933

MovieComedyDrama

When all Broadway shows are shut down during the Depression, a trio of desperate showgirls scheme to bilk a repugnant high society man of his money to keep their show going.

Little Caesar

Little Caesar · 1931

MovieDramaCrime

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

The Devil at 4 O'Clock

The Devil at 4 O'Clock · 1961

The Devil at 4 O'Clock

MovieAdventureDrama

A crusty, eccentric priest recruits three reluctant convicts to help him rescue a children's leper colony from a Pacific island menaced by a smoldering volcano.

Filmography

Sort

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz · 1939

The Wizard of Oz

MovieAdventureFantasy

Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.

Producer

Quo Vadis

Quo Vadis · 1951

MovieDramaHistory

After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.

Director

The Bad Seed

The Bad Seed · 1956

MovieDramaHorror

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, adore their daughter Rhoda, despite her secret tendency for selfishness. Christine keeps her knowledge of her daughter's darker side to herself, but when a schoolmate of Rhoda's dies mysteriously, her self-deception unravels.

Director

Little Women

Little Women · 1949

MovieRomanceDrama

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Director

Waterloo Bridge

Waterloo Bridge · 1940

Waterloo Bridge

MovieDramaRomance

On the eve of World War II, a British officer revisits Waterloo Bridge and recalls the young man he was at the beginning of World War I and the young ballerina he met just before he left for the front.

Director

Gold Diggers of 1933

Gold Diggers of 1933 · 1933

Gold Diggers of 1933

MovieComedyDrama

When all Broadway shows are shut down during the Depression, a trio of desperate showgirls scheme to bilk a repugnant high society man of his money to keep their show going.

Director

Little Caesar

Little Caesar · 1931

MovieDramaCrime

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

Director

The Devil at 4 O'Clock

The Devil at 4 O'Clock · 1961

The Devil at 4 O'Clock

MovieAdventureDrama

A crusty, eccentric priest recruits three reluctant convicts to help him rescue a children's leper colony from a Pacific island menaced by a smoldering volcano.

Director

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo · 1944

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.

Director

Mister Roberts

Mister Roberts · 1955

MovieComedyDrama

Mr. Roberts is a Navy officer who's yearning for battle but is stuck in the backwaters of World War II on a non-commissioned ship run by the bullying Captain Morton.

Director

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang · 1932

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.

Director

Gypsy

MovieComedyDrama

Gypsy's mother Rose dreams of a life in show business for her daughters, but Louise becomes a huge burlesque star. Stage musical loosely based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee.

Director

Random Harvest

Random Harvest · 1942

MovieRomanceDrama

Wandered away from his asylum, an amnesiac World War I veteran falls in love with a music hall star but his amnesia makes it difficult to last.

Director

Desire Me

Desire Me · 1947

MovieRomanceWar

A war widow falls in love with the man who informed her of her husband's death.

Director

The FBI Story

The FBI Story · 1959

MovieDramaCrime

A dedicated FBI agent recalls the agency's battles against the Klan, organized crime and Communist spies.

Director

At the Circus

At the Circus · 1939

MovieComedyMusic

Jeff Wilson, the owner of a small circus, owes his partner Carter $10,000. Before Jeff can pay, Carter's accomplices steal the money so he can take over the circus. Antonio Pirelli and Punchy, who work at the circus, together with lawyer Loophole try to find the thief and get the money back.

Producer

Madame Curie

Madame Curie · 1943

MovieDramaRomance

Poor physics student Marie is studying at the Sorbonne in 1890s Paris. One of the few women studying in her field, Marie encounters skepticism concerning her abilities, but is eventually offered a research placement in Pierre Curie's lab. The scientists soon fall in love and embark on a shared quest to extract, from a particular type of rock, a new chemical element they have named radium. However, their research puts them on the brink of professional failure.

Director

Million Dollar Mermaid

Million Dollar Mermaid · 1952

Million Dollar Mermaid

After overcoming polio, Annette Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece bathing suit is considered indecent.

Director

East Side, West Side

East Side, West Side · 1949

East Side, West Side

MovieDramaRomance

A vain businessman puts strains on his happy marriage to a rich, beautiful socialite by allowing himself to be seduced by a former girlfriend.

Director

Strange Lady in Town

Strange Lady in Town · 1955

Strange Lady in Town

Julia Garth, a female doctor, plans to introduce modern techniques of medicine to old Santa Fe in 1880, but is opposed by an established doctor, Rourke O'Brien.

Director

Three on a Match

Three on a Match · 1932

Three on a Match

MovieCrimeDrama

Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.

Director

Wake Me When It's Over

Wake Me When It's Over · 1960

Wake Me When It's Over

The war may be over, but that doesn't keep the hapless Gus Brubaker from being drafted and posted on a forgotten little Japanese Island...and that's just the beginning of this wacky Air Force adventure!

Director

Without Reservations

Without Reservations · 1946

Without Reservations

MovieComedyRomance

Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't know she is the author of the famous book, and who don't think much of the ideas it proposes. She and Rusty are greatly attracted, but she doesn't know how to deal with his disdain for the book's author.

Director

The Great Sinner

The Great Sinner · 1949

The Great Sinner

MovieDramaRomance

A young man succumbs to gambling fever.

Co-Director