He was born in Galveston, Texas.
A freelance newsreel cameraman and cinema projectionist, he made his debut as a director in 1913. In Hollywood from 1915, he worked on a variety of film-related jobs before directing a feature film, The Turn of the Road in 1919. A successful mounting of Peg o' My Heart in 1922 got him a long term contract with MGM. Nominated five times for an Oscar, he received an honorary award in 1979.
Selected Filmography