Walter Wanger

Walter Wanger (born Walter Feuchtwanger; July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an American film producer. A two-time recipient of the Academy Honorary Award, he was active from the 1920s until his career concluded with the turbulent production of Cleopatra, his last film, in 1963. Strongly influenced by European films, Wanger developed a reputation as an intellectual, socially conscious film producer who spearheaded controversial but politically provocative message films and romantic melodramas. Throughout his career, he made eloquent statements about the social responsibilities of the filmmaker and his educational role in a democracy. Born in 1894, Wanger attended Dartmouth College, where he briefly headed their theatre department. Wanger next served in the U.S. Army during World War I as an aviation pilot. During the early 1920s, Wanger joined Paramount Pictures, where he acquired the rights to The Shiek (1921). He quickly became one of Paramount's top production executives before he left due to management disputes. In 1931, he became a vice president for Columbia Pictures until he resigned to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). After he left MGM, Wanger formed his own independent production company, in which he produced films for Paramount and United Artists (UA). Meanwhile, he served twice as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1939–1945, with a brief interruption). In recognition of his service, he received an Academy Honorary Award in 1946. In 1940, Wanger married actress Joan Bennett. In December 1951, believing she was having an affair with her talent agent Jennings Lang, Wanger confronted and shot Lang, who survived. Wanger pleaded guilty to assault and served three months in prison. The experience inspired him to produce the prison film Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954). Wanger later produced Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and I Want to Live! (1958), which...