Known for movies
Greed (1924)
as Miscellaneous Crew
That's Entertainment! (1974)
as Miscellaneous Crew
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
as Miscellaneous Crew
Sowing the Wind (1921)
as Miscellaneous Crew
Short Info
| Died | October 29, 1957, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Spouse | Lorena Layson, Margaret Shenberg |
| Fact | Uncle of production manager Al Shenberg, producer Jack Cummings, and directors Fred M. Wilcox and Gerald Mayer. |
Louis B. Mayer was one of the most powerful and influential figures in the early days of Hollywood. He was born in 1884 in Minsk, Russia, to a Jewish family. His parents were Sarah and Jacob Mayer, and he had four siblings. The family immigrated to Canada when Louis was five years old, and he grew up in Montreal. He attended local schools and then went on to study at the University of Toronto.
Mayer began his career in the film industry in 1907, working as a sales manager for a Canadian film company. He then moved to New York City, where he worked for several different film companies. In 1918, he co-founded Metro Pictures Corporation. Four years later, he merged Metro with Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions, forming MGM.
Under Mayer’s leadership, MGM became one of the most successful studios in Hollywood. He was known for his skill in finding and developing talent, and he helped launch the careers of many famous actors and actresses, including Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and Greta Garbo. He also produced some of the most popular films of the era, such as “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) and “Gone with the Wind” (1939).
Mayer was a controversial figure, and he was often criticized for his autocratic style of management. He was also accused of being anti-Semitic, although he denied these charges.
In 1951, Mayer retired from MGM. He died four years later, at the age of 70.
Louis B. Mayer was one of the most powerful and influential figures in the early days of Hollywood. He was born in 1884 in Minsk, Russia, to a Jewish family. His parents were Sarah and Jacob Mayer, and he had four siblings. The family immigrated to Canada when Louis was five years old, and he grew up in Montreal. He attended local schools and then went on to study at the University of Toronto.
Mayer began his career in the film industry in 1907, working as a sales manager for a Canadian film company. He then moved to New York City, where he worked for several different film companies. In 1918, he co-founded Metro Pictures Corporation. Four years later, he merged Metro with Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions, forming MGM.
Under Mayer’s leadership, MGM became one of the most successful studios in Hollywood. He was known for his skill in finding and developing talent, and he helped launch the careers of many famous actors and actresses, including Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and Greta Garbo. He also produced some of the most popular films of the era, such as “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) and “Gone with the Wind” (1939).
Mayer was a controversial figure, and he was often criticized for his autocratic style of management. He was also accused of being anti-Semitic, although he denied these charges.
In 1951, Mayer retired from MGM. He died four years later, at the age of 70.
General Info
| Full Name | Louis B. Mayer |
| Died | October 29, 1957, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Profession | Film producer |
Family
| Spouse | Lorena Layson, Margaret Shenberg |
| Children | Irene Mayer Selznick, Edith Mayer |
| Parents | Jacob Meir, Sarah Meltzer |
| Siblings | Ida Mayer Cummings, Yetta Mayer, J. G. Mayer, Rubin Mayer |
Accomplishments
| Awards | Academy Honorary Award, DGA Honorary Life Member Award |
| Movies | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, He Who Gets Slapped, Virtuous Wives, The Trial of Mary Dugan, The Tower of Lies, The Invisible Fear, Thy Name Is Woman, I Take This Woman, The Mystic, Lady of the Night, Man, Woman and Sin, Strangers May Kiss, Redemption, Seven Chances, The Pagan, Wine of Youth, In Old... |
Social profile links
Quotes
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wherever I go there are girls who want to become actresses. I have a sixth sense for it. She would follow me into my stateroom if I snapped my fingers, and stay all night. Just for a bit role in any picture. But I am not interested in fast affairs. I am interested in "relationships". I am a human being. I need warmth - like an orchid. |
| 2 | There's only one way to succeed in this business. Step on those guys. Gouge their eyes out. Trample on them. Kick them in the balls. You'll be a smash. |
| 3 | [To Billy Wilder on his production of Sunset Blvd. (1950)] You bastard! You have disgraced the industry that made and fed you. You should be tarred and feathered and run out of Hollywood. |
| 4 | If it's an MGM film, it has to LOOK like an MGM film. |
| 5 | [In October 1937 "Photoplay"] Hollywood brings the world to the United States and the United States to the world. This interchange - of writing brains, talent, music, traditions - is important to world peace. It is equally important to good entertainment which knows no geography and has no international boundary lines. |
| 6 | If a story makes me cry, I know it's good. |
| 7 | [when told that television would be a serious competitor to the film industry] That's a lot of crap. Our position has never been more secure. Who in hell is going to look at those pigmy screens? |
| 8 | [in the March 1925 issue of "The Motion Picture Director"] Of the many artists who help to make up the finished film none is more important than the director. He can always improve a story... He is largely responsible for the acting of his cast and there are hundreds of little details of picture making that are entirely within his hands. |
| 9 | [in the March 1925 issue of "The Motion Picture Director"] When a picture is screened it is largely a reflection of the mind that directed it. If it is a failure the cause of that failure can often be traced directly to the man with the megaphone. I will also state that many screen successes are almost entirely due to directorial ability. |
| 10 | The sign of a clever auteur is to achieve the illusion that there is a sole individual responsible for magnificent creations that require thousands of people to accomplish. |
| 11 | Be smart, but never show it. |
| 12 | I want to make beautiful pictures about beautiful people. |
Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Production executive for John M. Stahl Productions, formed in 1921, in 1922. |
| 2 | President of Anita Stewart Productions, formed to make pictures for Anita Stewart in 1918. It dissolved in 1920. |
| 3 | Founder of Louis B. Mayer Productions. |
| 4 | Sidney Skolsky wrote that the joke on the MGM lot was that "L.B." Mayer stood for "Lionel Barrymore" Mayer because he was the "best actor" on the lot in things he did to persuade people, including melodramatically fainting and crying. |
| 5 | He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1637 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960. |
| 6 | Active in Republican Party politics, serving as the vice chairman of the Republican Party of California from 1931 to 1932 and as its state chairman between 1932 and 1933. |
| 7 | Katharine Hepburn wrote in her autobiography, "L.B. Mayer was a shrewd man with enormous understanding of an artist. He was not stupid, not crude. He was a very sensible fellow, and extremely honest. In all my dealings with Mayer, I can say that he was the most honest person I ever dealt with in my life.". |
| 8 | Salary as head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1937, $1,300,000. |
| 9 | Last words (spoken to Howard Strickling on October 28, 1957): "Nothing matters! Don't let them worry you. Nothing matters!" L.B. was hallucinating under a morphine drip. |
| 10 | Lived at 332 Saint Cloud Road in Bel Air, California (Mayer's original home has been torn down). |
| 11 | During his career at MGM, Mayer only answered to two men: Marcus Loew--who died on September 25, 1927--and his replacement at MGM parent Loew's Inc., Nicholas Schenck. It was an uncomfortable relationship for both men. Schenck inherently understood Mayer's value as a the head of MGM but resented his price. The two men would fight bitterly over the years over business matters, with Schenck repeatedly planting spies (including E.J. Mannix who soon became a Mayer loyalist) to monitor Mayer's business dealings. |
| 12 | The father of two daughters, Mayer originally thought of production chief Irving Thalberg as a son, but Thalberg's ambitions and his view of himself as the man behind the success of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer eventually brought them into conflict. After Thalberg's first heart-attack forced the young executive to take a long vacation, Mayer introduced a producer system he likened to a college of cardinals to replace Thalberg as central producer. When Thalberg returned to MGM, he became just an ordinary producer, albeit one who had first choice on projects and MGM resources, including its stars, due to his closeness to Nicholas Schenck, the president of MGM corporate parent Loews's Inc. Schenck, who was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio, usually backed up Thalberg. Some Hollywood observers believe that Mayer was relieved by Thalberg's untimely death, though he professed a great deal of grief publicly and likely was saddened by his former mentor's demise, as Thalberg had been instrumental in building MGM into the greatest studio in Hollywood and the world. |
| 13 | He was a master manipulator, and it was generally acknowledged that of all the great actors on the lot--the Barrymores, Spencer Tracy, Lon Chaney, Greta Garbo--Mayer was the best. He was not above--or beneath--crying, begging, threatening, charming or cursing (often within the same conversation) anyone out on the lot if it meant getting his way. When Robert Taylor tried to hit him up for a raise, Mayer advised the young man to work hard, respect his elders, and in due time he'd get everything he deserved. He hugged Taylor, cried a little and walked him to the door. Asked if he got his raise, the now tearful Taylor is said to have answered, "No, but I found a father." Taylor remained a good company man--and one of the most underpaid top actors on the lot--and enjoyed a 25-year career with the studio. |
| 14 | Was the father-in-law of producer/studio boss William Goetz (1903-1969), married to Mayer's daughter Edith (Edith Mayer). As one of the initial investors in Darryl F. Zanuck's fledgling 20th Century Pictures (which would soon merge with ailing Fox), Mayer insisted that his son-in-law be hired so as to get him out of MGM. Goetz served as executive vice president of 20th Century-Fox, heading the studio during Zanuck's leave of absence to serve in the military in 1942. Zanuck, fearful of his underling's ambitions, forced him out of the company upon his return in 1943. Ironically, both Mayer and Zanuck felt that Goetz was decidedly unimaginative and a mediocre film executive. That same year Goetz formed International Pictures, which merged with Universal in 1946. Goetz would go on to become one of the most successful movie moguls in the post-television era. |
| 15 | A self-made man who rose from his apprenticeship at his father's scrap metal business in Canada to become the highest paid corporate executive in the United States, Mayer was not above changing the particulars of his biography. Born in Imperial Russia in Vilna (in what is now Lithuania), Mayer later claimed his birthplace was Minsk (in what is now Belarus), or a village located between the two cities. He changed the year of his birth from 1882 to 1885 (the latter being the date on his tomb), and after being naturalized as an American citizen, he decided that he would celebrate his birthday on the Fourth of July (the exact date of his birth was uncertain, though he knew he had been born in the summer). He added a "B." as his middle initial to give his name more "dignity", and said that it stood for "Burt" or "Burton". |
| 16 | Mayer, according to Peter Hays' 1991 book "When the Lion Roars", idealized his mother. He was her favorite son, and she was the main influence on his life. She died in 1913, and Mayer kept a picture of her over his bed the rest of his life. With his mother an icon in his eyes, Mayer revered the concept of motherhood. When director Erich von Stroheim expressed the opinion to Mayer that all women were whores, Mayer asked him if he thought of his own mother that way, and then punched him in the face. Mayer told screenwriter Frances Marion, at their first meeting, that she should never write anything that would embarrass Mayer's own wife and two daughters. He told her, "I worship good women, honorable men and saintly mothers.". |
| 17 | Father-in-law of producer David O. Selznick |
| 18 | Father of Irene Mayer Selznick. |
| 19 | Brother of J.G. Mayer and Ida Mayer Cummings. |
| 20 | Inducted into the Haverhill [Massachusetts] Citizens Hall of Fame. |
| 21 | Uncle of production manager Al Shenberg, producer Jack Cummings, and directors Fred M. Wilcox and Gerald Mayer. |
| 22 | Was lampooned by author/MGM writer Aldous Huxley in "Ape and Essence", in which Huxley's character Lou is purported to have denied Jesus Christ a pay raise. |
| 23 | In his will, excluded daughter Edith (Edith Mayer) and her husband, former MGM executive William Goetz. |
| 24 | Was highest paid American business executive throughout the 1930s. |
| 25 | One of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). |
| 26 | Had appeared as a character in the musical play "In Hell With Harlow". |
Pictures
Movies
Miscellaneous
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Divide | 1925 | presenter | |
| Excuse Me | 1925 | presenter | |
| The Dixie Handicap | 1924 | presenter | |
| Greed | 1924 | presenter | |
| The Wife of the Centaur | 1924 | presenter | |
| So This Is Marriage? | 1924 | presenter | |
| The Silent Accuser | 1924 | presenter | |
| The Snob | 1924 | presenter | |
| He Who Gets Slapped | 1924 | presenter | |
| Married Flirts | 1924 | presenter | |
| His Hour | 1924 | presenter | |
| Red Lily | 1924 | presenter | |
| Sinners in Silk | 1924 | presenter | |
| Wine of Youth | 1924 | presenter | |
| Tess of the D'Urbervilles | 1924 | presenter | |
| Bread | 1924 | presenter | |
| Why Men Leave Home | 1924 | presenter | |
| Women Who Give | 1924 | presenter | |
| The Eternal Struggle | 1923 | presenter | |
| Strangers of the Night | 1923 | presenter | |
| The Famous Mrs. Fair | 1923 | presenter | |
| Hearts Aflame | 1923 | presenter | |
| Rose o' the Sea | 1922 | presenter | |
| One Clear Call | 1922 | presenter | |
| The Woman He Married | 1922 | presenter | |
| A Question of Honor | 1922 | presenter | |
| The Song of Life | 1922 | presenter | |
| Her Mad Bargain | 1921 | presenter | |
| The Invisible Fear | 1921 | presenter | |
| The Child Thou Gavest Me | 1921 | presenter | |
| Sowing the Wind | 1921 | presenter | |
| Habit | 1921 | presenter | |
| Old Dad | 1920 | presenter | |
| Harriet and the Piper | 1920 | presenter | |
| The Woman in His House | 1920 | presenter | |
| The Fighting Shepherdess | 1920 | presenter | |
| The Bishop's Emeralds | 1919 | presenter | |
| A Midnight Romance | 1919 | presenter | |
| That's Entertainment! | 1974 | leadership: MGM | |
| West of Zanzibar | 1928 | presenter | |
| Memory Lane | 1926 | presenter | |
| Mike | 1926 | presenter | |
| Fine Clothes | 1925 | presenter | |
| The Unholy Three | 1925 | presenter | |
| The White Desert | 1925 | presenter | |
| Proud Flesh | 1925 | presenter | |
| The Sporting Venus | 1925 | presenter | |
| Man and Maid | 1925 | presenter | |
| Confessions of a Queen | 1925 | presenter | |
| The Denial | 1925 | presenter | |
| Daddy's Gone A-Hunting | 1925 | presenter | |
| Lady of the Night | 1925 | presenter |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Take This Woman | 1940 | producer - uncredited | |
| Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | 1925 | producer - uncredited | |
| Greed | 1924 | executive producer - uncredited | |
| Wine of Youth | 1924 | producer - uncredited | |
| Why Men Leave Home | 1924 | producer | |
| Thy Name Is Woman | 1924 | executive producer | |
| The Wanters | 1923 | producer | |
| Strangers of the Night | 1923 | producer | |
| Rose o' the Sea | 1922 | producer | |
| The Woman He Married | 1922 | producer | |
| A Question of Honor | 1922 | producer | |
| Her Mad Bargain | 1921 | producer | |
| The Invisible Fear | 1921 | producer | |
| Playthings of Destiny | 1921 | producer | |
| Sowing the Wind | 1921 | producer | |
| Habit | 1921 | producer | |
| Harriet and the Piper | 1920 | producer | |
| The Woman in His House | 1920 | producer | |
| The Yellow Typhoon | 1920 | producer | |
| Polly of the Storm Country | 1920 | producer | |
| The Fighting Shepherdess | 1920 | producer | |
| The Inferior Sex | 1920 | producer | |
| In Old Kentucky | 1919 | producer | |
| Human Desire | 1919 | producer | |
| Her Kingdom of Dreams | 1919 | producer | |
| Mary Regan | 1919 | producer | |
| A Midnight Romance | 1919 | producer | |
| Virtuous Wives | 1918 | producer | |
| Somewhere in America | 1917 | producer | |
| The Great Secret | 1917 | producer | |
| Lovely Mary | 1916 | producer | |
| Dimples | 1916 | producer | |
| Barbara Frietchie | 1915 | producer | |
| Always in the Way | 1915 | producer |
Production Manager
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wizard of Oz | 1939 | executive in charge of production - uncredited |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Goes to Town | 1938 | Short documentary | Himself |
| Another Romance of Celluloid | 1938 | Documentary short | Himself (uncredited) |
| Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 8 | 1937 | Documentary short | Himself |
| The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention | 1937 | Documentary short | Himself |
| Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 6 | 1931 | Short | Himself |
| Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 18 | 1930 | Short | Himself |
| 1925 Studio Tour | 1925 | Documentary short | Himself - MGM Vice President |
| Seeing Stars | 1922 | Documentary short | Himself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinatra: All or Nothing at All | 2015 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| And the Oscar Goes To... | 2014 | TV Movie documentary | Himself - MGM Studio Head |
| 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year | 2009 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Gable and Crawford | 2008 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Trumbo | 2007 | Documentary | Himself |
| Royal Wedding: June, Judy and Jane | 2007 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Pirate: A Musical Treasure Chest | 2007 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Girl 27 | 2007 | Documentary | Himself |
| Private Screenings | 2006 | TV Series | Himself |
| Stardust: The Bette Davis Story | 2006 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| Garbo | 2005 | Documentary | Himself |
| Facing the Past | 2005 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| On Your Marx, Get Set, Go! | 2004 | Video documentary short | Himself (photo) |
| Love Find Andy Hardy Intro | 2004 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| American Masters | 1993-2004 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Checking Out: Grand Hotel | 2004 | Video documentary short | Himself - At the premiere |
| Biography | 1997-2003 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Begin the Beguine | 2003 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies | 2001 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| The Rat Pack | 1999 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Junket Whore | 1998 | Documentary | Himself |
| Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream | 1998 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Judy Garland's Hollywood | 1997 | Video documentary | |
| Sobbin' Women: The Making of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' | 1997 | TV Short documentary | Himself |
| Great Performances | 1996 | TV Series | Himself |
| The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies | 1995 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Casting Couch | 1995 | Video documentary | |
| MGM: When the Lion Roars | 1992 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic | 1990 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind | 1988 | TV Movie documentary | Himself - Head of MGM |
| Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story | 1987 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown | 1986 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Showbiz Goes to War | 1982 | TV Movie | |
| Hollywood | 1980 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| Hollywood on Trial | 1976 | Documentary | Himself |
| Hollywood: The Dream Factory | 1972 | TV Movie documentary | Himself - film clips |
| Hollywood: The Selznick Years | 1969 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| The Judy Garland Show | 1964 | TV Series | Himself |
| Hollywood: The Great Stars | 1963 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| Actor's and Sin | 1952 | Louis B. Mayer (Woman of Sin sequence) |
Awards
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Star on the Walk of Fame | Walk of Fame | Motion Picture | On 8 February 1960. At 1637 Vine Street. |
| 1952 | DGA Honorary Life Member Award | Directors Guild of America, USA | ||
| 1951 | Honorary Award | Academy Awards, USA | For distinguished service to the motion picture industry. |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
