American screenwriter, of Mormon parentage. Young's first job was on
the editorial staff of the Salt Lake Herald. He subsequently studied at
Stanford University, but did not manage to attain a degree. Before
entering the motion picture industry, he was engaged as a story writer
and drama editor, respectively by the San Francisco Chronicle and the
San Francisco Examiner. After a stint as a publicist for various
theatrical personalities, he began his film career under contract to
Universal, from 1917 to 1919. He subsequently moved on to Famous
Players/Lasky, commuting between Hollywood and Paramount's Astoria
studios in Long Island. Young wrote some of his most highly regarded
screenplays for MGM (1924-29) and Paramount (1930 and 1932-36). The
latter included notable collaborations on
Cecil B. DeMille epics
(
The Sign of the Cross (1932),
Cleopatra (1934)), as well as several
of
Gary Cooper's biggest box-office
hits of the period
(
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935),
The Plainsman (1936)).