Jack Leonard Warner

Jack Leonard Warner, also known as Colonel Jack L. Warner USAFR, was a Canadian-American film executive and producer who was born in London, Ontario, Canada, in 1892. He was the son of William James Warner, a merchant and shipper, and Susan Duffus Morrow. He studied at Central High School in London and then worked as a messenger boy for his father's company. He joined his brothers Harry, Albert, and Sam in the film business in 1918, when they founded Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. in Los Angeles. They released the first motion picture with synchronized sound, The Jazz Singer (1927) with Al Jolson, which revolutionized the industry. Warner was in charge of production at Warner Bros., and worked with his brother Sam to procure the technology for sound films. After Sam's death in 1927, Warner clashed with his surviving older brothers, Harry and Albert, over the direction of the company. He assumed exclusive control of the company in the 1950s, when he secretly purchased his brothers' shares in the business after convincing them to participate in a joint sale of stocks. He was known for his shrewd instincts, tough-mindedness, and decisiveness, as well as his uneven attempts at humor and his fear of flying. He recruited many of Warner Bros.' top stars, such as Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Edward G. Robinson, and promoted the hard-edged social dramas for which the studio became known. He also produced some of the most acclaimed films of the 20th century, such as Casablanca (1942), Mildred Pierce (1945), My Fair Lady (1964), and Camelot (1967). He was also involved in politics and international affairs, and served as an adviser to the British and Canadian governments during World War II. He was a staunch Republican and a supporter of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies. He also opposed European fascism and criticized Nazi Germany well before America's involvement in the war. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1946 for his services to the British Commonwealth. He also opposed communism and appeared as a friendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, voluntarily naming screenwriters who had been fired as suspected communists or sympathizers. He retired from the film industry in 1973, after selling his controlling interest in Warner Bros. to Kinney National Company. He died of pulmonary edema and a heart inflammation in 1978 at the age of 86 and was buried in Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles. He was remembered as one of the most influential and powerful film moguls of Hollywood's Golden Age, and a legend in the entertainment industry.