Lawrence Weingarten

After a somewhat brief acting stint in the silent Bitter Sweet (1916), Weingarten decided to work on the other side of the camera, initially as publicity man for Thomas H. Ince and, later, First National Pictures. He was an early influence in the career of child star Jackie Coogan, before independently producing several biblical dramas in 1921. Subsequently, he went mainstream comedy, producing films for Buster Keaton and Polly Moran. In 1927, he joined MGM under contract as associate producer, eventually rising to production supervisor under the auspices of Irving Thalberg. He was also for many years jointly (with Albert Lewin) in charge of the MGM editorial board. During his almost forty year long tenure, Weingarten produced some of the studio's most prestigious films, including the wonderful Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn comedy Adam's Rib (1949), the Lillian Roth biopic I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) and the exquisite Tennessee Williams adaptation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. In 1962, Weingarten served as president of the Screen Producers Guild. He retired in 1968.