Louis B. Mayer

Louis B. Mayer
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Name	Louis B. Mayer
Caption	Mayer in the 1940s
Birth name	Lazar Meir
Birth date	4 July 1884
Birth place	Minsk, Russian Empire
Death date	29 October 1957
Death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film producer, studio executive
Years active	1907–1951
Known for	Co-founding Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Spouse	Margaret Shenberg (1904–1947; divorced), Lorena Layson (1948–1957; his death)
Children	2, including Edith Mayer Goetz

Louis B. Mayer was a pivotal American film producer and studio executive who co-founded the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio, shaping it into Hollywood's most prestigious and profitable film factory during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Renowned for his autocratic leadership and keen commercial instincts, he championed a philosophy of wholesome, star-driven entertainment, overseeing the careers of countless icons and the production of numerous classic films. His influence extended beyond the studio lot, as he was a founding member and powerful president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, helping to solidify the industry's cultural and political standing.

Early life and career

Born Lazar Meir in Minsk, then part of the Russian Empire, he emigrated with his family as a child, settling in Saint John, New Brunswick. He entered the entertainment business by purchasing a dilapidated burlesque theater in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which he renovated and renamed the Orpheum Theatre. His success in New England led him into film distribution, where he secured lucrative exclusive rights to show D.W. Griffith's controversial epic The Birth of a Nation in the Boston area. This venture provided the capital to move into production, and in 1918 he relocated to Los Angeles, founding the Louis B. Mayer Pictures company. His early productions often featured popular actress Anita Stewart, and his business acumen soon attracted the attention of larger corporate players in the burgeoning film industry.

Leadership of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

In 1924, Mayer's company was merged with Metro Pictures and the Goldwyn Pictures corporation under the banner of the new Loew's, Inc. conglomerate, forming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Appointed vice president and head of production in Culver City, he formed a legendary partnership with studio production chief Irving Thalberg. Together, they built MGM into "the studio with more stars than there are in heaven," cultivating the images of performers like Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and Spencer Tracy. Mayer enforced a strict moral code in MGM's films, favoring lavish musicals, uplifting melodrama, and prestigious literary adaptations, as seen in classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and the Andy Hardy series. His management style was famously paternalistic and volatile, leading to conflicts with stars and, eventually, to a bitter power struggle with Nicholas Schenck, the head of Loew's.

Film industry influence and legacy

Beyond MGM, Mayer wielded enormous influence across Hollywood. He was instrumental in founding the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927 and served as its president for its first decade, helping to establish the Academy Awards. He was a dominant force in the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, advocating for industry self-regulation under the Hays Code. His legacy is complex; he is credited with perfecting the studio system and defining American cinematic glamour, but also criticized for his rigid control over actors' lives, his resistance to unionization efforts by the Screen Actors Guild, and his eventual dismissal from MGM in 1951, which marked the end of an era for the classic studio system.

Personal life and death

Mayer was married twice, first to Margaret Shenberg, with whom he had two daughters, including socialite Edith Mayer Goetz. After a contentious divorce, he married advertising executive Lorena Layson in 1948. A noted philanthropist, he donated generously to causes such as the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. In his later years, he engaged in unsuccessful attempts to regain control of MGM and ventured into horse racing, breeding champion thoroughbreds at his Perris, California ranch. He died of leukemia in Los Angeles in 1957 and was interred in the Home of Peace Cemetery.

Awards and honors

For his contributions to cinema, Mayer received an Academy Honorary Award in 1950. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1631 Vine Street. His role in film history has been depicted in various media, including the Warner Bros. film MGM: When the Lion Roars and the HBO television film RKO 281.

Category:American film producers Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer people Category:1884 births Category:1957 deaths