Motion Picture Director, Composer. A classically-trained musician, he was unusual among Hollywood directors of his era in writing scores and songs for his own productions. He won the first Academy Award in the Best Original Score category for "One Night of Love" (1934) and also received a Best Director nomination for that film. Schertzinger was born in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. He made his debut as a violinist at age eight and studied music at Brown University and the University of Brussels. After touring Europe as a concert virtuoso he settled in Los Angeles to conduct theatre orchestras. In 1916 he entered movies as composer of the accompanying music for producer Thomas Ince's "Civilization". Noted for his tactful, genial personality, Schertzinger suddenly found himself directing when Ince noticed how well he got along with temperamental star Charles Ray; he went on to helm several of Ray's biggest hits, among them "The Clodhopper" (1917), "The Pinch Hitter" (1917), and "A Nine O'Clock Town" (1918). Schertzinger's silent films were commercially successful but his career really took off with talkies, when he was able to put his dual talents to use in concocting frothy musicals for Paramount and other studios: "The Love Parade" (music only, 1929), "Friends and Lovers" (1931), "Strange Justice" (1932), "My Woman" (1933), "Beloved" (1934), and "Something to Sing About" (1938). As a songwriter he collaborated with lyricists Gus Kahn, Clifford Grey, and Johnny Mercer on the standards "Dream Lover", "I Don't Want to Cry Any More", "I Remember You", "Paris, Stay the Same", and "Tangerine". He also launched the popular Bob Hope-Bing Crosby-Dorothy Lamour "Road" series with "The Road to Singapore" (1940) and "The Road to Zanzibar" (1941). Schertzinger died of a heart attack shortly after completing "The Fleet's In" (released in 1942).

Motion Picture Director, Composer. A classically-trained musician, he was unusual among Hollywood directors of his era in writing scores and songs for his own productions. He won the first Academy Award in the Best Original Score category for "One Night of Love" (1934) and also received a Best Director nomination for that film. Schertzinger was born in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. He made his debut as a violinist at age eight and studied music at Brown University and the University of Brussels. After touring Europe as a concert virtuoso he settled in Los Angeles to conduct theatre orchestras. In 1916 he entered movies as composer of the accompanying music for producer Thomas Ince's "Civilization". Noted for his tactful, genial personality, Schertzinger suddenly found himself directing when Ince noticed how well he got along with temperamental star Charles Ray; he went on to helm several of Ray's biggest hits, among them "The Clodhopper" (1917), "The Pinch Hitter" (1917), and "A Nine O'Clock Town" (1918). Schertzinger's silent films were commercially successful but his career really took off with talkies, when he was able to put his dual talents to use in concocting frothy musicals for Paramount and other studios: "The Love Parade" (music only, 1929), "Friends and Lovers" (1931), "Strange Justice" (1932), "My Woman" (1933), "Beloved" (1934), and "Something to Sing About" (1938). As a songwriter he collaborated with lyricists Gus Kahn, Clifford Grey, and Johnny Mercer on the standards "Dream Lover", "I Don't Want to Cry Any More", "I Remember You", "Paris, Stay the Same", and "Tangerine". He also launched the popular Bob Hope-Bing Crosby-Dorothy Lamour "Road" series with "The Road to Singapore" (1940) and "The Road to Zanzibar" (1941). Schertzinger died of a heart attack shortly after completing "The Fleet's In" (released in 1942).

Bio by: Bobb Edwards