William A. Wellman Biography

Fast Facts

• Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960
• Won the German Independece Honorary Award from the Oldenburg Film Festival
• Was the great-great-grandson of Francis Lewis, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
• Was discovered by filmmaker Douglas Fairbanks, who suggested that he become an actor due to his handsome features
• Quote: "The best director is the director whose handprints are not on the film․"
• As a former pilot, he often created films that featured aviation sequences
• Worked with the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps as an ambulance driver during World War I