Arthur Freed

Birth Name:

Arthur Grossman

Birth Place:

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Profession

Soundtrack, Producer, Music department, Writer, Actor

Was awarded the Irving G․ Thalberg Award for "creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production" in 1951
Was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972
Began his production career as an uncredited associate producer on "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939
Started out as a pianist and song plugger in Chicago, where he met Minnie Marx, the mother of the Marx Brothers, and began touring with them as a singer and songwriter
Best known as the producer and lyricist who helped shape the world of film musicals, with credits including "Show Boat," "An American in Paris," and "Singin' in the Rain․"
During his years at MGM, he built up a the "Freed Unit," his trusted cast and crew, with some of the most durable names in film musicals, including Vincente Minnelli, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, and Betty Comden
Joined MGM Studios in the mid-1920s where he worked with composer Nacio Herb Brown on most of the songs in the studio's early musicals
Served as the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1963 to 1966, and appeared in several of the awards shows as a producer or presenter
The success of "The Wizard of Oz" led him to produce a number of "backyard" musicals starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, including "Babes in Arms" and "Strike Up the Band․"
Was an influential supporter of the "integrated" musical, where the songs became integral to the storyline instead of being a cheerful interruption

Fast Facts