William Dieterle

Born: July 15, 1893
Where: Rheinpfalz, Germany
Died: December 8, 1972
A star of the German stage and silent film in the 1920's, Dieterle started producing films early in his career.

His first production, Der Mensch am Wege, in which he also cast himself in the starring role, was Marlene Dietrich's first major role.

Dieterle moved to Hollywood in 1930, working for Warner Bros. for a decade and starting out with a stunning series of top quality films.

He also used Hollywood to help him direct German-language versions of three Hollywood films, and his English-language directing debut was The Last Flight.

Dieterle returned to Germany in 1958 but his career diminished without the Hollywood hills as a backdrop.