Jack Conway Biography

Fast Facts

• Was nominated for the Mussolini Cup at the 1934 Venice Film Festival for "Viva Villa!"
• Won a Special Recommendation at the 1934 Venice Film Festival for "Viva Villa!"
• A street in Pacific Palisades was named Jacon Way in honor of him
• Joined a repertory theater group directly after graduating from high school
• Directed the first sound picture made at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, "Alias Jimmy Valentine․"
• Starred in the first movie filmed in Hollywood, "Her Indian Hero․"
• Chose to work within the structures sent down from studio management, delivering commercially successful and entertaining films but steering away from an individual artistic style
• Transitioned from acting to directing after refusing to step into a cage and wrestle a lion
• Lived in a house designed by architect Allen Siple in Pacific Palisades, Calif
• Used 17,000 extras for the Paris mob scenes in his 1935 adaptation of "A Tale of Two Cities․"