Born in Brooklyn, NY. From the late 1920s until his death in 1936, Irving Thalberg was the stuff of legend, regarded in the American film industry with a mixture of respect, awe, envy and fear. Unknown to the general public, Thalberg, through his obsessive concern with quality film production and his unwavering faith in public opinion, became the paragon of the studio factory system and an exemplar of public taste. As production head at MGM, Thalberg trod the delicate line between commerce and art and in the process transformed the studio into the pinnacle of the Hollywood system. Thalberg began his career in film as a teenager fresh out of high school, joining Universal in 1918 as a secretary at their New York offices. Working exclusively for studio patriarch Carl Laemmle, he worked his way up the corporate ladder and by the time he was 21 had become executive in charge of production at Universal City in California. At Universal, Thalberg sought to upgrade the quality of the studio's product and to rein in profligate costs on its "Jewel" productions. In the first instance, Thalberg oversaw Universal's first major production, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923), from pre-production planning to editing and promotion, resulting in a tremendous success for the studio. In the second instance, he clashed with autocratic director-star Erich von Stroheim, ordering substantial cuts in FOOLISH WIVES (1922) and removing him from the helm of MERRY-GO-ROUND (1923). But Thalberg's efforts went unrewarded by the parsimonious Laemmle and the young executive resigned in 1923 to take a production position with fledgling Louis B. Mayer Productions. Soon after Thalberg's defection from Universal, Marcus Loew and Nicholas Schenck of Metro Pictures merged with Louis B. Mayer Productions to become a fully integrated film company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Thalberg came along with the package and was named supervisor of production. Once again, he clashed with von Stroheim, cutting his mammoth version of GREED (1924) down to two hours and overseeing every aspect of production on THE MERRY WIDOW (1925). This muzzling of von Stroheim marked the demise of the era of the flamboyant producer-director and heralded the birth of a new order with the studio production system. The litmus test for the "new order" was THE BIG PARADE (1925); its spectacular success (it reportedly became the most profitable film of the silent era) validated Thalberg's production methods. Thalberg's strategy became synonymous with the MGM house style that held sway into the late 1940s: he combined intensive pre-production preparation with a post-production system of previews designed to gauge audience reactions and determine ensuing retakes. Working with Louis B. Mayer and facilities supervisor Eddie Mannix, Thalberg oversaw every MGM production until 1932 to ensure that the highest standards were maintained. Sustaining a virtual highwire act between the money men in New York and the studio artists and technicians in Los Angeles, Thalberg transformed MGM into the most profitable and respected studio in the industry with such prestige successes as THE BROADWAY MELODY (1929), GRAND HOTEL (1932) and RED DUST (1932). In 1932, Thalberg was dealt a crushing blow when one of his associate producers, Paul Bern, committed suicide. His reaction was to pour himself pell-mell into MGM's upcoming productions. Never in strong health following a sickly childhood, he suffered a physical collapse at the end of the year, creating a power vacuum that Mayer, smoldering with resentment over Thalberg's power, readily filled, hiring David Selznick and Walter Wanger as unit producers. When Thalberg returned in August of 1933, it was as another unit producer, with his system of production supervision scrapped. Even as a unit producer, Thalberg helped create such hits as MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935), A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935), SAN FRANCISCO (1936) and THE GOOD EARTH (1937). But his health continued to deteriorate and, during pre-production on A DAY AT THE RACES (1937), he contracted pneumonia and died at the age of 37. He was married to actress Norma Shearer.  Nominated for Picture 1929-30: THE BIG HOUSE - Producer  Nominated for Picture 1930-31: TRADER HORN - Producer  Picture 1931-32: GRAND HOTEL - Producer  Nominated for Picture 1932-33: SMILIN' THRU - Producer  Nominated for Picture 1934: THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET - Producer  Picture 1935: MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY - Producer  Nominated for Picture 1936: ROMEO AND JULIET - Producer  Nominated for Picture 1937: THE GOOD EARTH - Producer (w. Albert Lewin) 8 nominations, 2 Awards