Clarence Brown Biography

Fast Facts

• Honored by the George Eastman House with the George Eastman Award in 1957 for his contribution to the arts
• Graduated from the University of Tennessee at 19 with two engineering degrees, but did not develop an interest in filmmaking until age 23
• Often praised as being an 'actor's director', as he continually worked alongside actors, listening to their suggestions and interpretations of his films
• Made his directorial debut, alongside Tourneur, in 1920 and would later take over "The Last of the Mohicans" after Tourneur was injured in an on set accident
• The University of Tennessee named their campus auditorium in his honor, The Clarence Brown Theater
• His first job in Hollywood was to act as an assistant for French director Maurice Tourneur