Albert Lewin (September 23, 1894 – May 9, 1968) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.

Personal life

Lewin was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. He earned a master's degree at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and taught English at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served in the military and was afterwards appointed assistant national director of the American Jewish Relief Committee. He later became a drama and film critic for the ''Jewish Tribune'' until the early 1920s, when he went to Hollywood to become a reader for

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...

. Later he worked as a script clerk for directors

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor ( ; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

and

Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood, ...

before becoming a screenwriter at

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

in 1924. Lewin was appointed head of the studio's script department and by the late 1920s was

Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather productio ...

's personal assistant and closest associate. Nominally credited as an associate producer, he produced several of MGM's most important films of the 1930s. After Thalberg's death, he joined

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

as a producer in 1937, where he remained until 1941. Notable producing credits during this period include '' True Confession'' (1937), ''

Spawn of the North ''Spawn of the North'' is a 1938 American adventure film directed by Henry Hathaway about rival fishermen in Alaska starring George Raft, Henry Fonda and Dorothy Lamour and featuring Akim Tamiroff and John Barrymore. ''Spawn of the North'' is b ...

'' (1938), ''

Zaza Zaza may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Zaza (play), ''Zaza'' (play), written by French playwrights Pierre Berton and Charles Simon * Zaza (1915 film), ''Zaza'' (1915 film), a film directed by Edwin S. Porter * Zaza (1923 film), ''Zaza'' (1 ...

'' (1939) and ''

So Ends Our Night ''So Ends Our Night'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by John Cromwell and starring Fredric March, Margaret Sullavan and Frances Dee. The screenplay was adapted by Talbot Jennings from the novel ''Flotsam'' by German exile Erich Maria Re ...

'' (1941). In 1942, Lewin began to direct. He made six films, writing all of them and producing several himself. As a director and writer, he showed literary and cultural aspirations in the selection and treatment of his themes. He was the best friend of actress

Devi Dja Devi Dja (born Misria Dja; August 1, 1914 – January 19, 1989), better known as Miss Dja, was an Indonesian-born American actress, dancer, and singer. A member of the Dardanella Opera group, founded by Willy A. Piedro, who later became her husb ...

and cast her in three of his movies but failed to get her a leading role in ''The Moon and Sixpence'' (1942). In 1966, Lewin published a novel, ''The Unaltered Cat''.

Films

As director: *''

The Moon and Sixpence ''The Moon and Sixpence'' is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, first published on 15 April 1919. It is told in episodic form by a first-person narrator providing a series of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character, Charles Stri ...

'' (1942) *''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is an 1890 philosophical fiction and Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American period ...

'' (1945) *''

The Private Affairs of Bel Ami ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1947) *''

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman ''Pandora and the Flying Dutchman'' is a 1951 British Technicolor Romance film, romantic Fantasy film, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Albert Lewin. The screenplay is based on legend of the Flying Dutchma ...

'' (1951) *''

Saadia Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon (892–942) was a prominent rabbi, gaon, Jewish philosopher, and exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate. Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic. Known for his works o ...

'' (1953) *'' The Living Idol'' (1957) As screenwriter: *''

The Fate of a Flirt ''The Fate of a Flirt'' is a 1925 silent romantic comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer, which stars Dorothy Revier, Forrest Stanley, and Thomas Ricketts. It was released by Columbia Pictures on November 15, 1925. Plot As described in a ...

'' (1925) *''

Spring Fever Spring fever is any of a number of mood, physical, or behavioral changes which may be experienced coinciding with the onset of spring, particularly restlessness, laziness, and amorousness. Overview The term ''spring fever'' may refer to an increa ...

'' (1927)

References

*''Botticelli in Hollywood: The Films of Albert Lewin'' by Susan Felleman (1997),

External links

*
Albert Lewin
at Allmovie. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewin, Albert 1894 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters American male screenwriters Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Film directors from New York City Film producers from New Jersey Film producers from New York (state) Harvard University alumni Hugo Award–winning writers Jewish American military personnel Jewish American screenwriters Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) Filmmakers from Brooklyn Screenwriters from Missouri Screenwriters from New Jersey Screenwriters from New York (state) United States Army personnel of World War I University of Missouri faculty Writers from Newark, New Jersey