Born in Chicago, Illinois. The son of Carl Laemmle, who founded Universal Pictures, he supervised short products at Universal while still in his teens and was put in charge of the company's production on his 21st birthday. He initiated a new production policy calling for emphasis on higher-budget quality films. One of his earliest ventures, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930), won an Oscar® and enhanced Universal's prestige. Under his regime, the studio turned out a number of other prestigious films and started its famous cycle of horror pictures. But his budget extravagances put the company in increasing financial difficulties during the Depression and he was forced to resign. In 1936 he went into independent production, with little success. Laemmle's other notable Universal films in the almost 120 features he produced during his tenure as studio chief include THE KING OF JAZZ (1930), DRACULA, WATERLOO BRIDGE, FRANKENSTEIN and HEAVEN ON EARTH (all 1931), MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, BACK STREET, ONCE IN A LIFETIME, THE OLD DARK HOUSE, AIRMAIL and THE MUMMY (all 1932), SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM and THE INVISIBLE MAN (both 1933), THE BLACK CAT and IMITATION OF LIFE (both 1934), BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, WEREWOLF OF LONDON and THE RAVEN (all 1935) and his last film, SHOW BOAT (1936). From 1926 until 1929, Laemmle wrote the stories for thirty George J. Lewis comedy shorts. His cousins were writer-producer Robert Wyler and director William Wyler.  Best Picture 1929-30: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - Producer 1 nomination, 1 Award