Born Mihaly Kertesz in Budapest, Hungary. Made his stage debut in 1906 and his screen acting and directing debuts in 1912. After assisting both Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller in Scandinavia, Curtiz directed over 30 films in Hungary between 1914 and 1919, after which he branched out to Germany, France, Austria and Italy. MOON OF ISRAEL (1924), produced by Sandor (Alexander) Korda and seen by Jack Warner, led to his move to America. By the time he left Europe, Curtiz had directed over 60 films; he would turn out approximately 100 more in the US, making him one of the world's most prolific feature directors. While his European work was influenced by Swedish naturalism in its use of outdoor locations, in the US Curtiz would become an extraordinary studio director, using the back lots of Hollywood to transport his audiences to exotic foreign lands. He remained with Warners until the early 1950s, turning out routine films as well as memorable pictures starring Errol Flynn (CAPTAIN BLOOD, 1935; THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, 1936; THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, 1938; THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX, 1939; THE SEA HAWK, 1940; DIVE BOMBER, 1941), Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA, 1942; PASSAGE TO MARSEILLE, 1944) and Bette Davis (20,000 YEARS IN SING SING, 1933). Other notable (non-nominated) directing credits include MISSION TO MOSCOW and THIS IS THE ARMY (both 1943), NIGHT AN DAY (1946), LIFE WITH FATHER (1947), ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS (1948, also producer), FLAMINGO ROAD (1949, also exec. producer), YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN and BRIGHT LEAF (both 1950), JIM THORPE -- ALL-AMERICAN and I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS (both 1951), THE STORY OF WILL ROGERS and THE JAZZ SINGER (both 1952), WHITE CHRISTMAS and THE EGYPTIAN (both 1954), WE'RE NO ANGELS (1955), THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (1956), THE HELEN MORGAN STORY (1957), KING CREOLE (1958), THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1960) and THE COMANCHEROS (1961). Although many critics have labeled Curtiz a superior craftsman rather than an auteur, he left behind an undeniably impressive body of work: the noir melodrama MILDRED PIERCE (1945) and the wartime love story CASABLANCA (1942), in particular, are among the most successful Hollywood films of all time.  Nominated for Directing 1935: CAPTAIN BLOOD NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL NOMINATION. Write-in candidate.  Nominated for Directing 1938: FOUR DAUGHTERS  Nominated for Directing 1938: ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES  Nominated for Directing 1942: YANKEE DOODLE DANDY  Directing 1943: CASABLANCA 4 nominations, 1 write-in nomination, 1 Award