Born in Dublin, Ireland. The son of a London editor, he emigrated to the US at 16 and after briefly working as a call boy at a New York theater began acting and managing in stock, touring companies, and vaudeville. For a while he also operated a small motion picture theater in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In 1909 he entered films as a screenwriter for Carl Laemmle's Imperial Company (IMP) in New York and three years later made his debut as a film director. His success was immediate; within months he was hailed by critics as an important new talent. His prestige remained high throughout the silent era. He directed some of Hollywood's most glamorous stars and was often entrusted with big-budget productions by Fox, Paramount, and other studios. He also worked periodically in England and Italy. Among Brenon's notable films were NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER (1914), starring Annette Kellermann (Brenon was badly injured when a tank she swam in exploded); THE TWO ORPHANS (1915), starring Theda Bara (and Brenon himself); WAR BRIDES (1916), starring Alla Nazimova, which he considered his best; PETER PAN (1924), starring Betty Bronson; THE GREAT GATSBY (1926), starring Warner Baxter; BEAU GESTE (1926), starring Ronald Colman; and LAUGH CLOWN LAUGH (1928), starring Lon Chaney. While the director was at the height of his fame, critics spoke with admiration of "the Brenon touch." Brenon met the advent of the talkies with skepticism. In 1928 he spoke disparagingly of sound as a passing fad brought about by the inferiority of the current crop of silent films. He reluctantly switched to talkies when the fad proved permanent, but met with little success, and in 1934 went to England, where he continued to direct until his retirement in 1940.    Nominated for Directing 1927-8: SORRELL AND SON 1 nomination