Motion Picture Director. A pioneer of German Cinema, he was born Joseph Mandel in Vienna, Austria. He directed stage operettas in Berlin before entering films in 1911, and formed his own studio in 1914. May produced some of Europe's earliest serials and later launched a vogue for exotic adventure yarns. Director Fritz Lang got his start writing scripts for May, notably for "Mistress of the World" (1920) and "The Indian Tomb" (1921). A skillful if rather superficial filmmaker, May experimented with different cinematic trends without developing a personal, signature style. The two films considered his best are different in approach. "Homecoming" (1928), a love triangle set during World War I, made use of Expressionist techniques, while "Asphalt" (1929), a working-class "street film", employed documentary-like realism. May fled Germany after the Nazi takeover in 1933. He resumed directing in Hollywood, but his assignments were minor and he ended up writing stories for B films at Universal. May's last years were spent running a Viennese restaurant in Los Angeles. He was married to actress Mia May, who starred in many of his early films. Their daughter, actress Eva May, committed suicide at 22 in 1924.
Motion Picture Director. A pioneer of German Cinema, he was born Joseph Mandel in Vienna, Austria. He directed stage operettas in Berlin before entering films in 1911, and formed his own studio in 1914. May produced some of Europe's earliest serials and later launched a vogue for exotic adventure yarns. Director Fritz Lang got his start writing scripts for May, notably for "Mistress of the World" (1920) and "The Indian Tomb" (1921). A skillful if rather superficial filmmaker, May experimented with different cinematic trends without developing a personal, signature style. The two films considered his best are different in approach. "Homecoming" (1928), a love triangle set during World War I, made use of Expressionist techniques, while "Asphalt" (1929), a working-class "street film", employed documentary-like realism. May fled Germany after the Nazi takeover in 1933. He resumed directing in Hollywood, but his assignments were minor and he ended up writing stories for B films at Universal. May's last years were spent running a Viennese restaurant in Los Angeles. He was married to actress Mia May, who starred in many of his early films. Their daughter, actress Eva May, committed suicide at 22 in 1924.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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