Motion Picture Producer. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, he started out as a sportswriter in St. Louis and became publicity director for Goldwyn Pictures in 1915. In 1921 he formed Hunt Stromberg Productions and cranked out low-budget comedies and westerns for the Robertson-Cole theatre circuit. He joined the newly-formed MGM as a producer in 1925 and for the next 16 years was one of that studio's top executives. Stromberg made Joan Crawford a star with "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928), and did the same for Jean Harlow in "Red Dust" (1932) and Myrna Loy in "The Thin Man" (1934) and its sequels. He also oversaw many of Metro's glossy musicals, including the Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy films, and his "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936) won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Among his other credits are "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" (1929), "Treasure Island" (1934), "Rose Marie" (1936), "Night Must Fall" (1937), "Marie Antoinette" (1938), "The Women" (1939), and "Pride and Prejudice" (1940). Stromberg's abilities were highly valued by studio chief Louis B. Mayer. He was given his own production unit in 1933 and was the first MGM supervisor to receive a "produced by" screen credit and a percentage of company profits. But in late 1941 he abruptly quit Metro with three years remaining on his contract. Various sources attribute his departure to creative differences, salary disputes, and substance abuse problems. Stromberg returned to independent production and scored a blockbuster with "Lady of Burlesque" (1943), though his subsequent films met with more modest success. He retired in 1951.
Motion Picture Producer. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, he started out as a sportswriter in St. Louis and became publicity director for Goldwyn Pictures in 1915. In 1921 he formed Hunt Stromberg Productions and cranked out low-budget comedies and westerns for the Robertson-Cole theatre circuit. He joined the newly-formed MGM as a producer in 1925 and for the next 16 years was one of that studio's top executives. Stromberg made Joan Crawford a star with "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928), and did the same for Jean Harlow in "Red Dust" (1932) and Myrna Loy in "The Thin Man" (1934) and its sequels. He also oversaw many of Metro's glossy musicals, including the Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy films, and his "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936) won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Among his other credits are "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" (1929), "Treasure Island" (1934), "Rose Marie" (1936), "Night Must Fall" (1937), "Marie Antoinette" (1938), "The Women" (1939), and "Pride and Prejudice" (1940). Stromberg's abilities were highly valued by studio chief Louis B. Mayer. He was given his own production unit in 1933 and was the first MGM supervisor to receive a "produced by" screen credit and a percentage of company profits. But in late 1941 he abruptly quit Metro with three years remaining on his contract. Various sources attribute his departure to creative differences, salary disputes, and substance abuse problems. Stromberg returned to independent production and scored a blockbuster with "Lady of Burlesque" (1943), though his subsequent films met with more modest success. He retired in 1951.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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