Paul Bern (born Paul Levy; December 3, 1889 â€" September 5, 1932) was
a German-born American film director, screenwriter, and producer for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became the assistant to Irving Thalberg.
He helped launch the career of Jean Harlow, whom he married in July
1932; two months later, he was found dead of a gunshot wound, leaving
what appeared to be a suicide note. Various alternative theories of
his death have been proposed. Film producer Samuel Marx believed that
he was killed by his ex-common-law wife Dorothy Millette, who jumped
to her death from a ferry days afterward.Bern was born Paul Levy in
Wandsbek, which was then a town in the Prussian province of
Schleswig-Holstein (now a district of the city of Hamburg). He was one
of six children of Julius and Henriette (née Hirsch) Levy, a Jewish
couple. Julius worked as a clerk for a shipping company before opening
a candy store. In 1898, Julius decided to move the family to the
United States due to the rise of unemployment and anti-Jewish
attitudes in Wandsbek. The family eventually settled in New York City.
Julius Levy died in 1908. In 1920, Henriette Levy drowned herself,
possibly as a threat to keep her beloved son from marrying.Bern
pursued a career in acting on the stage and studied at the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts. He later adopted the stage name "Paul Bern".
Bern soon realized he had little aptitude for acting and pursued other
aspects of theater production. He worked as a stage manager for a time
before moving to Hollywood in the early 1920s. He was initially a film
editor before he worked his way up to scenario writing and directing
for United Artists and Paramount Pictures. This led to his working
full-time as a producer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the major studio of
the time. Bern eventually became the production assistant of Irving
Thalberg and then a producer on the MGM lot in his own right.The
star-studded film Grand Hotel, released six days after Bern's death,
won the Best Picture Academy Award for 1931â€"1932. Bern and Thalberg
produced the film, although neither was listed in the film credits (in
the early 1930s MGM did not list their films' producers in their
credits). The award was presented solely to Thalberg, however, since
Bern, being deceased, obviously could not also accept it.
a German-born American film director, screenwriter, and producer for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became the assistant to Irving Thalberg.
He helped launch the career of Jean Harlow, whom he married in July
1932; two months later, he was found dead of a gunshot wound, leaving
what appeared to be a suicide note. Various alternative theories of
his death have been proposed. Film producer Samuel Marx believed that
he was killed by his ex-common-law wife Dorothy Millette, who jumped
to her death from a ferry days afterward.Bern was born Paul Levy in
Wandsbek, which was then a town in the Prussian province of
Schleswig-Holstein (now a district of the city of Hamburg). He was one
of six children of Julius and Henriette (née Hirsch) Levy, a Jewish
couple. Julius worked as a clerk for a shipping company before opening
a candy store. In 1898, Julius decided to move the family to the
United States due to the rise of unemployment and anti-Jewish
attitudes in Wandsbek. The family eventually settled in New York City.
Julius Levy died in 1908. In 1920, Henriette Levy drowned herself,
possibly as a threat to keep her beloved son from marrying.Bern
pursued a career in acting on the stage and studied at the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts. He later adopted the stage name "Paul Bern".
Bern soon realized he had little aptitude for acting and pursued other
aspects of theater production. He worked as a stage manager for a time
before moving to Hollywood in the early 1920s. He was initially a film
editor before he worked his way up to scenario writing and directing
for United Artists and Paramount Pictures. This led to his working
full-time as a producer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the major studio of
the time. Bern eventually became the production assistant of Irving
Thalberg and then a producer on the MGM lot in his own right.The
star-studded film Grand Hotel, released six days after Bern's death,
won the Best Picture Academy Award for 1931â€"1932. Bern and Thalberg
produced the film, although neither was listed in the film credits (in
the early 1930s MGM did not list their films' producers in their
credits). The award was presented solely to Thalberg, however, since
Bern, being deceased, obviously could not also accept it.
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