Lawrence Weingarten(1897-1975)
- Producer
- Actor
- Production Manager
After a somewhat brief acting stint in the silent
Bitter Sweet (1916), Weingarten
decided to work on the other side of the camera, initially as publicity
man for Thomas H. Ince and, later, First
National Pictures. He was an early influence in the career of child
star Jackie Coogan, before independently
producing several biblical dramas in 1921. Subsequently, he went
mainstream comedy, producing films for
Buster Keaton and
Polly Moran. In 1927, he joined MGM under
contract as associate producer, eventually rising to production
supervisor under the auspices of
Irving Thalberg. He was also for many
years jointly (with Albert Lewin) in charge
of the MGM editorial board.
During his almost forty year long tenure, Weingarten produced some of the studio's most prestigious films, including the wonderful Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn comedy Adam's Rib (1949), the Lillian Roth biopic I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) and the exquisite Tennessee Williams adaptation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. In 1962, Weingarten served as president of the Screen Producers Guild. He retired in 1968.
During his almost forty year long tenure, Weingarten produced some of the studio's most prestigious films, including the wonderful Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn comedy Adam's Rib (1949), the Lillian Roth biopic I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) and the exquisite Tennessee Williams adaptation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. In 1962, Weingarten served as president of the Screen Producers Guild. He retired in 1968.
