Mitchell Leisen
Birth Name:
James Mitchell Leisen
Birth Place:
Menominee, Michigan, United States
Profession
Director, Art director, Costume designer, Actor, Producer, Assistant director, Set decorator, Costume department, Writer, Production manager, Art department
Fast Facts
- Served in the U․S․ military during World War I as a drill officer
- After his initial success as a costume designer on films like "Forbidden Fruit" and "The Thief of Bagdad," he went to work for director Cecil B․ DeMille as a set designer and art director
- Worked at an architecture firm in Chicago before moving to Hollywood, where he was first hired to design gowns for Gloria Swanson in 1919's "Male and Female․"
- Quote: "Nobody's all good, or all bad, not in my movies at least․ There's a little bad in the best of us, and a little good in the worst of us․"
- Although his films were often disregarded as mere camp, his combining of genres, frequent reversal of gender roles, and use of masquerade and impersonation define him as one of the first Post-Modern filmmakers
- Best known as a costume designer and director who had great success with the films "Midnight" and "Hold Back the Dawn․"
- In addition to his film work, he also worked as an interior decorator and fashion designer, and also staged nightclub acts
- Several of his films subverted Hollywood's traditional idea of "masculinity," including "Frenchman's Creek," which featured a cross-dressing heroine, and "Golden Earrings," whose hero was dressed in an androgynous gypsy style
Awards
- 1930Oscar - Best Art Direction:Nominated
- 1934Special RecommendationWinner
- 1934Mussolini Cup - Best Foreign Film:Nominated
- 1951Bronze Berlin Bear - Best Comedy:Winner