Rowland Vance Lee (September 6, 1891 – December 21, 1975) was an American film director, actor, writer, and producer.

Biography

Early life

Born in

Findlay, Ohio Findlay ( ) is a city in Hancock County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The second-largest city in Northwest Ohio, Findlay lies about 40 miles (64 km) south of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. Its population was 40,313 at the 2020 United Sta ...

, Lee was the son of a suffragette who founded a newspaper. He studied at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and served in the infantry 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 ...

Acting career

Lee had early appearances in ''Wild Winship's Widow'' (1917), ''Time Locks and Diamonds'' (1917), ''The Mother Instinct'' (1917), ''Polly Ann'' (1917), ''The Stainless Barrier'' (1917), ''The Maternal Spark'' (1917) and ''They're Off'' (1918). He appeared in the films ''

The Woman in the Suitcase ''The Woman in the Suitcase'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo, and is the first Paramount film released in the 1920s. A print of the film is held by the Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a ...

'', '' Water, Water, Everywhere'', '' His Own Law'' (supporting

Hobart Bosworth Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (August 11, 1867 – December 30, 1943) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer. Bosworth began his career in theater, eventually transitioning to the emerging film industry. Despite a battle with ...

), and '' Her Husband's Friend'' (all 1920).

Directing

Change of profession

Thomas H. Ince suggested Lee make a choice between acting and directing. Lee moved into directing starting with '' A Thousand to One'' (1920), '' Cupid's Brand'' (1921), and '' The Cup of Life'' (1921). He directed two films for former co-star

, '' Blind Hearts'' and '' The Sea Lion'' (both 1921). Lee made '' What Ho, the Cook'' (1921), '' Money to Burn'' (1922), '' The Men of Zanzibar'' (1922), '' His Back Against the Wall'' (1922), '' A Self-Made Man'' (1922), '' Dust Flower'' (1922), and '' Mixed Faces'' (1922).

Fox

Lee went to Fox where he directed '' Shirley of the Circus'' (1923). He directed and scripted a 1923 adaptation of the

Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and ''Alice Adams (novel), Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to w ...

novel ''Alice Adams'', which propelled him into the big time. He followed it with ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

'' (1923) at Metro. He fell ill during the making of ''Desire''. Back at Fox, Lee directed '' Gentle Julia'' (1923), another Tarkington adaptation. After ''Gentle Julia'', Lee spent several months studying filmmaking in Europe, a practice he would continue for the next decade. Lee did '' You Can't Get Away with It'' (1923), '' In Love with Love'' (1924) with Marguerite De La Motte, and an expensive adaptation of '' The Man Without a Country'' (1925). Other credits included '' Havoc'' (1925), '' The Outsider'' (1926) (with

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. A major leading man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his "portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise," Pidgeon earned two Academy ...

), and ''

The Silver Treasure ''The Silver Treasure'' is a 1926 American silent action drama film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring George O'Brien. It is based on the 1904 novel ''Nostromo'' by Joseph Conrad. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporati ...

'' (1927), based on ''

Nostromo ''Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard'' is a 1904 novel by Joseph Conrad, set in the fictitious South American republic of "Costaguana". It was originally published serially in monthly instalments of '' T.P.'s Weekly''. In 1998, the Modern Libra ...

'' by

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

. He also directed '' The Whirlwind of Youth'' (1927).

Paramount

Lee went to Paramount in 1926 where he directed Pola Negri in ''

Barbed Wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the ...

'' (1927) and '' The Secret Hour'' (1928). '' Doomsday'' (1928) starred Florence Vidor and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

. He was reunited with Negri for ''

Three Sinners ''Three Sinners'' (1928) is a silent film directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Pola Negri, and co-starring Warner Baxter, Olga Baclanova, and Paul Lukas. The film was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Picture ...

'' (1928) and '' Loves of an Actress'' (1928) then did '' The First Kiss'' (1928) with Cooper and

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

. In 1929, he directed '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' featuring

George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts ...

. He followed it with '' A Dangerous Woman'' (1929) starring Olga Baclanova, then Lee made the first sound

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( zh, t=傅滿洲/福滿洲, p=Fú Mǎnzhōu) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character f ...

film, '' The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1929). He spent three months touring Europe in 1929. Lee was one of many directors who contributed to the all-star revue '' Paramount on Parade'' (1930). '' The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1930) was a sequel to ''The Mysterious Dr Fu Manchu''. Lee then made '' Ladies Love Brutes'' (1930) and '' Derelict'' (1930) with Bancroft, and ''

A Man from Wyoming ''A Man from Wyoming'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code war romance film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Gary Cooper, June Collyer, and Regis Toomey. Written by Albert S. Le Vino and John V.A. Weaver, the film is about a man from Wyoming ...

'' (1930), with Cooper.

England

Lee went to Warners to make ''

The Ruling Voice ''The Ruling Voice'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code gangster drama directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Walter Huston, Loretta Young, and Doris Kenyon. It had an alternate title ''Upper Underworld'', and was produced by First N ...

'' (1931) with

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ; April 6, 1883 or 1884 – April 7, 1950) was a Canadian actor and singer. Huston won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'', directed by his son John Huston. He ...

. He based himself in England for the next two years where he wrote an English version script of '' Captain Craddock'' (1931), did '' The Guilty Generation'' (1931) at Columbia and '' That Night in London'' (1931) for Paramount in England; the latter starred

Robert Donat Friedrich Robert Donat ( ; 18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. Making his breakthrough film role in Alexander Korda's ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933), today he is best remembered for his roles in ''The Count of Monte C ...

. Back at Fox, Lee directed '' Zoo in Budapest'' (1933), '' I Am Suzanne'' (1933) and ''

Gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

'' (1934); the latter starred George M. Cohan.

Edward Small

Edward Small hired Lee to write and direct an adaptation of ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, and published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers'' (184 ...

'' (1934) for

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

starring Donat; it was a huge success and ushered in a cycle of swashbuckling films. Fox had merged to become

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

whose production head Darryl F. Zanuck hired Lee to direct one of the studio's first films, the biopic ''

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

'' (1935) starring

George Arliss George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ...

. Lee received an offer from RKO to write and direct another swashbuckler, ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

'' (1935). For United Artists he did '' One Rainy Afternoon'' (1936) and the English-shot

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

adaptation, '' Love from a Stranger'' (1937). Back in Hollywood, Lee was reunited with Small for '' The Toast of New York'' (1937), a biopic that was a notorious flop. It was made at RKO who also financed Lee's next film, '' Mother Carey's Chickens'' (1938).

Universal

Lee signed a contract at Universal, where he directed '' Service de Luxe'' (1938). He had a big success with '' Son of Frankenstein'' (1939) starring

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume drama ...

and

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

. Lee followed it with '' The Sun Never Sets'' (1939) with Rathbone and

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...

, and ''

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

'' (1939) with Rathbone and Karloff.

Later films

Lee made another swashbuckler for Small, '' The Son of Monte Cristo'' (1940). He returned to RKO to do '' Powder Town'' (1942), then made a film for another independent producer, Benedict Bogeaus, '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' (1944). Bogeaus liked Lee's work and used him on the swashbuckler ''

Captain Kidd William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish-American privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in Ne ...

'' (1945). Lee announced he would then make a film about

Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fer ...

but he ended up retiring in 1945.

Activism

In 1936 Lee was one of the founder members of the Screen Directors Guild (today the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

) formed to protect Directors' rights.

The Rowland V. Lee Ranch and later life

Lee focused on running his ranch in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

which he had bought in 1935. He raised cattle and alfalfa. In August 1940, two girls drowned in his private lake while Lee was away. He converted part of his acreage overlooking the Chatsworth Reservoir into a motion picture location. Among the films shot there were '' I've Always Loved You'', '' Strangers on a Train'' (1951), ''

At Sword's Point ''At Sword's Point'', also known as ''Sons of the Three Musketeers'', is a 1952 American historical action adventure film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Cornel Wilde and Maureen O'Hara. It was shot in Technicolor by RKO Radio Pictures. T ...

'', '' The Night of the Hunter'' (1955), '' Friendly Persuasion'' (1956),'' The Light in the Forest'' (1958) and '' Back Street'' (1961). By the early 1960s though the land had become too valuable to use as a location. Lee decided to return to filmmaking by producing ''

The Big Fisherman ''The Big Fisherman'' is a 1959 American historical drama film directed by Frank Borzage about the life of Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus. Starring Howard Keel, Susan Kohner and John Saxon, the production is adapted from the 194 ...

'' from the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas. He wrote the script with Howard Estabrook and hired

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage ( né Borzaga; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an American film director and actor. He was the first person to win the Academy Awards, Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director for his film ''7th Heaven ...

to direct it. In 1975, three months past his 84th birthday, Lee died of a heart attack at home in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California. The city is located in the Colorado Desert arm of the Sonoran Desert, about east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The popula ...

, having just finished writing a screenplay, a mystery called ''The Belt''. He was survived by his wife, Eleanor, and brother, Donald W. Lee, a former Hollywood film writer. While it has been reported incorrectly that the former Rowland V. Lee Ranch was subdivided and developed after his death, in fact development of the property began much earlier. Portions of the ranch had begun to be developed by the late 1950s, with the Corporate Pointe industrial park among the first major projects to be built in the area. Development continued throughout the 1960s, with much of the ranch becoming suburban single-family housing typical of the western San Fernando Valley. The section of the former ranch containing Lee Lake was the last major portion to be developed, becoming the gated community Hidden Lake Estates, which was completed by 1971. The lake remains intact as a part of the gated community. Lee has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

Complete filmography

As actor

*'' Wild Winship's Widow'' (1917) - Archibald Herndon * '' Time Locks and Diamonds'' (1917) - Edgar Seymour * '' The Mother Instinct'' (1917) - Jacques *''Polly Ann'' (1917) - Howard Straightlane * '' The Stainless Barrier'' (1917) - Richard Shelton *''The Maternal Spark'' (1917) - Howard Helms *''They're Off'' (1918) - Randolph Manners *''

'' (1920) - W.H. 'Billy' Fiske *'' Water, Water, Everywhere'' (1920) - Arthur Gunther *'' Dangerous Days'' (1920) - Graham Spencer *'' His Own Law'' (1920) - Jean Saval *'' Her Husband's Friend'' (1920) - Billy Westover (final film role)

As director

Key: :^P : also producer :^W : also writer :^{P, W} : also producer and writer *'' A Thousand to One'' (1920) *'' Cupid's Brand'' (1921) *'' The Cup of Life'' (1921) *'' Blind Hearts'' (1921) *'' The Sea Lion'' (1921) *'' What Ho, the Cook'' ^W (1921) *'' Money to Burn'' (1922) horror-comedyWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p.253.. *'' The Men of Zanzibar'' (1922) *'' His Back Against the Wall'' (1922) *'' A Self-Made Man ''^W (1922) *'' Dust Flower'' (1922) *'' Mixed Faces'' (1922) *'' Shirley of the Circus'' (1922) *'' Alice Adams ''^W (1923) *''

'' (1923) *'' Gentle Julia'' (1923) * '' You Can't Get Away with It'' (1923) *'' In Love with Love'' (1924) *'' The Man Without a Country'' (1925) *'' Havoc'' (1925) *'' The Outsider'' (1926) *''

'' (1926) *'' The Whirlwind of Youth'' (1927) *''

'' ^{P, W} (1927) *'' The Secret Hour'' ^W (1928) *'' Doomsday'' ^P (1928) *''

'' ^P (1928) *'' Loves of an Actress'' ^W (1928) *'' The First Kiss'' ^P (1928) *'' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (1929) *'' A Dangerous Woman'' (1929) *'' The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu'' ^P (1929) (uncredited) *'' Paramount on Parade'' (1930) (sequence director) *'' The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' ^P (1930) *'' Ladies Love Brutes'' (1930) *''

'' (1930) *'' Derelict'' (1930) *''

'' ^W (1931) *'' The Guilty Generation'' (1931) *'' That Night in London'' (1932) *'' Zoo in Budapest'' ^W (1933) *'' I Am Suzanne!'' ^W (1933) *''

'' ^W (1934) *''

'' (1934) *''

'' (1935) *''

'' ^W (1935) *'' One Rainy Afternoon'' (1936) *'' Love from a Stranger'' (1937) *'' The Toast of New York'' (1937) *'' Mother Carey's Chickens'' (1938) *'' Service de Luxe'' ^P (1938) *'' Son of Frankenstein'' ^P (1939) *'' The Sun Never Sets'' ^P (1939) *''

'' ^P (1939) *'' The Son of Monte Cristo'' ^P (1940) *'' Powder Town'' (1942) *'' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' ^P (1944) *''

'' ^{P, W} (1945)

As producer

*''

'' (1927) (uncredited) *'' Doomsday'' (1928) *''

'' (1928) *'' The First Kiss'' (1928) *'' The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1929) (uncredited) *'' The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1930) *'' The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case'' (1932), production supervisor *'' Service de Luxe'' (1938) *'' Son of Frankenstein'' (1939) *'' The Sun Never Sets'' (1939) *''

'' (1939) *'' The Son of Monte Cristo'' (1940) *'' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' (1944) *''

'' (1959)

As writer

*'' What Ho, the Cook'' (1921) *'' A Self-Made Man'' (1922) *'' Alice Adams'' (1923) *''

'' (1927) *'' The Secret Hour'' (1928) *'' Loves of an Actress'' (1928) *''

'' (1931) *'' Le capitaine Craddock'' (1931) *'' Monte Carlo Madness'' (1932) *'' Zoo in Budapest'' (1933) *'' I Am Suzanne!'' (1933) *''