Hal B. Wallis
Hal Brent Wallis ( born 14 September 1899 in Illinois, Chicago; † October 5, 1986 in Rancho Mirage, Riverside County, California ) was an American film producer.
Life
Hal Brent Wallis came to Los Angeles in 1922 and headed for a short time a cinema. In 1923 he became a contributor to the advertising department of Warner Brothers. In 1928, he began his career as a film producer at Warner Brothers. In 1933, he was followed by Darryl F. Zanuck as chief of film production. During his tenure, Warner Brothers produced a number of films, which developed into great artistic and financial success. One of his biggest successes was Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart in the lead role. Its over 400 films belonged to different genres. Wallis had next to his organizational and commercial skills and the talent to recognize budding movie stars. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas were among his discoveries.
From 1944 he worked as an independent film producer for the major studios. He was among the most successful producers in Hollywood. His films have been honored with 32 Academy Awards and 121 nominations. Hal B. Wallis was married from 1927 to 1962 with the actress Louise Fazenda. After her death, he married actress Martha Hyer in 1966, with whom he was married until his death.