Clarence Brown

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Greta Garbo named him her favorite director, and actors felt at ease under his guidance, delivering powerful performances. Clarence Brown (1890–1987), an Academy Award-nominated director, collaborated with Hollywood legends like Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and Katharine Hepburn. Dubbed the "star maker," he nurtured Elizabeth Taylor's early career and discovered Academy Award-winning child star Claude Jarman Jr. for The Yearling (1946). Over his career, he directed more than fifty films, including Possessed (1931), Anna Karenina (1935), and National Velvet (1944), captivating audiences with glamorous narratives, family tales, and hard-hitting dramas. Despite admiration from peers like Jean Renoir and Frank Capra, Brown's contributions to classic cinema remain underappreciated. This first full-length account of his life and career reveals how his hardworking family influenced his entrepreneurial spirit. Initially an engineer and World War I aviator, he abandoned a successful car dealership in Alabama to pursue filmmaking. Known for his innovative lighting and composition, Brown was nominated for five Academy Awards and directed ten actors in Oscar-nominated roles. Despite his significant impact, he has largely been overlooked by film scholars. This exploration delves into the complexities of a man who left an indelible mark on cinema.