- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJames Mitchell Leisen
- Nickname
- Mitch
- Mitchell Leisen was born on October 6, 1898 in Menominee, Michigan, USA. He was a director and art director, known for Death Takes a Holiday (1934), The Mating Season (1951) and Hold Back the Dawn (1941). He was married to Stella Yeager. He died on October 28, 1972 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- SpouseStella Yeager(1927 - ?)
- Often cast Fred MacMurray
- Married to mezzo-soprano Stella Yeager (known professionally as Sandra Gahle), while also having relationships with costume designer Natalie Visart and choreographer Billy Daniel.
- Directed one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Midnight (1939).
- Directed two actresses to Oscar nominations: Olivia de Havilland (Best Actress: Hold Back the Dawn (1941) & To Each His Own (1946)) and Thelma Ritter (Best Supporting Actress: The Mating Season (1951)). De Havilland won an Oscar for her performance in the 1946 film, continually citing Leisen as the favorite among her directors.
- Pioneer pilot, sculptor and qualified home decorator. Studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. Moved to Chicago to work in the advertising section of the art department for the "Chicago Tribune". Held a second job with the architectural firm Marshall & Fox, while acting in his spare time. Eventually moved to Hollywood. Failed as an actor, but was noted for the sets he created for the Hollywood Community Theatre. Brought to the attention of Cecil B. DeMille, who signed him on as a costume designer, despite his lack of previous experience in this area. Worked for DeMille until 1922, then moved on to design costumes for Douglas Fairbanks at United Artists. Continued to design costumes for many of his cast members well into his later directing career.
- Worked in the dual capacity of costume designer and art director at MGM (1929-31) and at Paramount (1932-33). Became Paramount's most reliable contract director (1933-51), noted for visual elegance and for his ability to direct actresses. His forte were comedies and romances. His best films often starred Fred MacMurray or Ray Milland and were scripted by Preston Sturges or Billy Wilder. When Sturges and Wilder turned to directing their own films, from the early 1940s, Leisen's own career began to decline.
- The camera never moves arbitrarily in any of my films. It follows somebody across the room or some kind of action; therefore you are not particularly conscious of the camera moving. Unnecessary camera movement destroys the concentration of the audience.
- [on Carole Lombard] She was really a sweet, even tempered girl. Strong but sweet - not even her colorful syntax made her less sweet. She had tolerance, and her patience was just incredible and rare. She didn't fly into rage very often, but she'd let it all come out and then feel cleansed. She was so very fair, and fairness was really all she asked of others. When she became really angry, it was always over someone's dishonesty. She just didn't like to be crossed.
- If an actress is satisfied with the way she looks on the screen, she'll devote all other attention to her acting.
- [on directing 'social conscience' films] If I want to send a message, I'll call Western Union.
- The son of a very dear friend of mine had committed suicide, and she was terribly broken up over it. I took a flying chance one day. I took her to the projection room and left her there alone and had Death Takes a Holiday (1934) run for her. She came out a completely different person. She said, "You've explained death, you've made it beautiful to me. I no longer feel the way I did." This was worth a great deal to me, and made the effort of doing it worthwhile if you could affect that many people and explain something they have been horrified of. As Death himself says, "Why do men fear me?".
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