- Born
- Died
- Birth nameHarold Brent Wallis
- Legendary producer Hal B. Wallis was born in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles when he was in his early 20s. He got a job managing a theater owned by Warner Bros., and his success at the job caught the eye of studio head Jack L. Warner, who gave him a job in the studio's publicity department. Within a few months Wallis had worked his way up to head of the department. He was named studio manager in 1928 and production manager shortly thereafter, but was pushed aside by another legendary producer, future 20th Century-Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck. In 1933 Zanuck left Warner and Wallis moved back to his old position. He oversaw the production of many of Warners' most famous films, including Little Caesar (1931), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Captain Blood (1935), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Casablanca (1942). In 1944 Wallis left Warner and formed his own production company, and achieved even more success, being responsible for such films as The Rose Tattoo (1955), Becket (1964), and a string of Elvis Presley movies, most of which were economically produced and all of which made a fortune. Wallis' last picture was the John Wayne western Rooster Cogburn (1975).- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com
- At 14 he was forced to leave school to help support his family, starting out as an office boy then later becoming a salesman for an electric heating company , When his mother fell ill and needed a dryer climate he took her to Los Angeles and talked the head of a theatre chain into hiring him as manager of the Garrick, one of L A's top cinemas, There he came into contact with Sam and Jack Warner and making a strong impression on them got a job in their publicity dept and 3 months later he was running it. When Sam died in 1928 Hal was made studio manager of First National, an ailing studio acquired through a merger with Warner Bros. Jack Waner believed Wallis to be closer to the production and replaced him with Darryl Zanuck in 1931, Wallis was now in a position to do what he really wanted to do -produce films, He helped create many films that established Warners reputation in the early 30s including Little Caesar, I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footligt Parade When Zanuck left in 1933 Wallis was returned to the position of production chief, Over the next 7 years he supervised production of 371 features while studio profits rose almost 700 per cent Quarrels between Wallis and his 2nd in command, Mark Hellinger, led to a renegotiation of Wallis' contract, The new deal would allow Wallis to produce his own films using Warners facilities and financing, This new era in Wallis; career brought such hits as Now Voyager and of course Casablanca, In 1944 Wallis left Warners to produce independently for Paramount. He later moved to Universal. He was married for many years to actress Louise Fazenda, After her death he married actress Martha Hyer. Wallis died in 1986,- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5
- SpousesMartha Hyer(December 31, 1966 - October 5, 1986) (his death)Louise Fazenda(November 24, 1927 - April 17, 1962) (her death, 1 child)
- The Hal B. Wallis Building contains the Heart Research Facility at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. It's named after the famous producer whose last home was in this city.
- Brother-in-law of screenwriter Wally Kline.
- In the old days we had the time and money to give prospective stars a slow build up. Today, an actor makes it fast or he doesn't make it at all.
- [As head of production at Warner Bros.] Every time Paul Muni parts his beard and looks down a microscope, this company loses two million dollars.
- [on Errol Flynn] He wasn't an admirable character, but he was a magnificent male animal and his sex appeal was obvious. It seemed not to matter whether he could act. He leaped from the screen into the projection room with the impact of a bullet.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content