Born in Oakland, California. Leading Hollywood craftsman, responsible for some fine films of the 1930s and 40s, but whose later output tended toward the over-ambitious and excessive. The son of performers, Stevens entered films at age 17 as a cameraman and later worked for the Hal Roach company, where he directed his first shorts. He joined RKO in 1934 and proceeded to churn out a series of crafty comedies and light musicals, scoring his first major success with ALICE ADAMS (1935), which was followed by the Astaire-Rogers classic SWING TIME (1936), the action-packed GUNGA DIN (1939) and the brilliantly realized debut pairing of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942). After heading the Army Signal Corps Special Motion Picture Unit during WW II, Stevens re-entered civilian life in 1945 and hit his peak with I REMEMBER MAMA (1948) and A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951). His subsequent work, including SHANE (1953) and GIANT (1956), strove for epic status but came off as overblown and excessive. Stevens's final effort, THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN (1970), was a refreshing, if flawed, return to his earlier, more modest, style. Stevens was president of the Screen Directors Guild for two terms, 1941-43 and 1946-48. His son is producer-director George Stevens, Jr., and his grandson is "Christmas in Washington" producer Michael Stevens.  Nominated for Best Picture 1942: THE TALK OF THE TOWN - Producer at Columbia  Nominated for Best Picture 1943: THE MORE THE MERRIER - Producer at Columbia  Nominated for Directing 1943: THE MORE THE MERRIER  Nominated for Best Picture 1951: A PLACE IN THE SUN - Producer at Paramount  Directing 1951: A PLACE IN THE SUN  Nominated for Best Picture 1953: SHANE - Producer at Paramount  Nominated for Directing 1953: SHANE  Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award 1953.  Nominated for Best Picture 1956: GIANT - Producer at Warner Bros. (w. Henry Ginsberg)  Directing 1956: GIANT  Nominated for Best Picture 1959: THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK - Producer at 20th Century-Fox  Nominated for Directing 1959: THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK 11 nominations, 2 Awards, 1 Honorary Award