W.S. Van Dyke

About W.S. Van Dyke

Who is it?: Director, Writer, Producer
Birth Day: March 21, 1889
Birth Place:  San Diego, California, United States
Cause of death: Suicide
Resting place: Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Other names: One Take Woody
Occupation: Film director, writer
Years active: 1915–42
Spouse(s): Zina Ashford (m. 1909; div. 1935) Ruth Mannix (m. 1935–1943)
Children: 3

W.S. Van Dyke

W.S. Van Dyke was born on March 21, 1889 in  San Diego, California, United States, is Director, Writer, Producer. W. S. Van Dyke was an American film director and writer best known for the films ‘The Thin Man’ and ‘San Francisco’ for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director. He was also famous for the series of musicals he made with Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. A director known for his adherence to budget and commitment to schedule, he was as much respected for his craft as he was for his reliability. The son of an actress mother, he lost his father the day he was born. His mother worked as a touring vaudeville actress to support herself and her son. Familiarized to show business at an early age, he began appearing on stage as a toddler and appeared in a variety of roles in vaudeville and travelling stock companies as a young boy. He grew restless as a teenager and did a series of odd jobs before returning to theater. He soon ventured into Hollywood and realized that he was more interested in directing films. After working as an assistant director with D. W. Griffith and James Young, he made his directorial debut with ‘The Land of Long Shadows.’ He established himself as a versatile and reliable director over the years and directed several top-grossing and award winning films.
W.S. Van Dyke is a member of Director

Does W.S. Van Dyke Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, W.S. Van Dyke has been died on February 5, 1943(1943-02-05) (aged 53)\nLos Angeles, California, U.S..

🎂 W.S. Van Dyke - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When W.S. Van Dyke die, W.S. Van Dyke was 53 years old.

Popular As W.S. Van Dyke
Occupation Director
Age 53 years old
Zodiac Sign Aries
Born March 21, 1889 ( San Diego, California, United States)
Birthday March 21
Town/City  San Diego, California, United States
Nationality United States

🌙 Zodiac

W.S. Van Dyke’s zodiac sign is Aries. According to astrologers, the presence of Aries always marks the beginning of something energetic and turbulent. They are continuously looking for dynamic, speed and competition, always being the first in everything - from work to social gatherings. Thanks to its ruling planet Mars and the fact it belongs to the element of Fire (just like Leo and Sagittarius), Aries is one of the most active zodiac signs. It is in their nature to take action, sometimes before they think about it well.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

W.S. Van Dyke was born in the Year of the Ox. Another of the powerful Chinese Zodiac signs, the Ox is steadfast, solid, a goal-oriented leader, detail-oriented, hard-working, stubborn, serious and introverted but can feel lonely and insecure. Takes comfort in friends and family and is a reliable, protective and strong companion. Compatible with Snake or Rooster.

Some W.S. Van Dyke images

Famous Quotes:

I think I've been to school in every state in the Union. Whenever the company stopped off long enough in any city I went back behind a school desk. The rest of the time my mother taught me.

Biography/Timeline

1889

Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II was born on March 21, 1889 in San Diego, California. His father was a Superior Court judge who died the day his son was born. His mother, Laura Winston, returned to her former acting career. As a child actor, Van Dyke appeared with his mother on the vaudeville circuit with traveling stock companies. They traveled the west coast and into the Middle West. When he was five years old, they appeared at the old San Francisco Grand Opera House in Blind Girl. He would later remember his unusual education,

1909

When Van Dyke was fourteen years old, he moved to Seattle to live with his grandmother. While attending Business school, he worked several part-time jobs, including janitor, waiter, salesman, and railroad attendant. Van Dyke's early adult years were unsettled, and he moved among jobs. In 1909, he married Actress Zelda Ashford, and the two joined various touring theater companies, finally arriving in Hollywood in 1915.

1915

In 1915, Van Dyke found work as an assistant Director to D. W. Griffith on the film The Birth of a Nation. The following year, he was Griffith's assistant Director on Intolerance. That same year he worked as an assistant Director to James Young on Unprotected (1916), The Lash (1916), and the lost film Oliver Twist, in which he also played the role of Charles Dickens.

1917

In 1917, Van Dyke directed his first film, The Land of Long Shadows for Essanay Studios. That same year he directed five other films: The Range Boss, Open Places, Men of the Desert, Gift O' Gab, and Sadie Goes to Heaven. In 1927, he traveled to Tacoma to direct two silent films for the new H.C. Weaver Productions: Eyes of the Totem and The Heart of the Yukon (the latter is considered a lost film).

1928

His other films include the island adventure White Shadows in the South Seas (1928), its follow up: The Pagan (1929), Trader Horn (1931) filmed almost entirely in Africa, Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), Manhattan Melodrama (1934), and Marie Antoinette (1938). He is perhaps best remembered for directing Myrna Loy and William Powell in four Thin Man films: The Thin Man (1934), After the Thin Man (1936), Another Thin Man (1939), and Shadow of the Thin Man (1941); and Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in six of their greatest hits, Naughty Marietta (1935), Rose Marie (1936), Sweethearts (1938), New Moon (1940) (uncredited because halfway through filming Robert Z. Leonard took over), Bitter Sweet (1940), and I Married an Angel (1942).

1934

Many of his films were huge hits and top box office in any given year. He received Academy Award for Best Director nominations for The Thin Man (1934) and San Francisco (1936). He also directed the Oscar-winning classic Eskimo (also known as Mala the Magnificent), in which he also has a featured acting role.

1943

A devout Christian Scientist, Van Dyke refused most medical care during his last years. After finishing his last film, he said his goodbyes to his wife, children, and studio boss Louis B. Mayer and then committed suicide on February 5, 1943, in Brentwood, Los Angeles. At his request, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy both sang and officiated at his funeral.

1960

On February 8, 1960, Van Dyke received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to Motion Pictures, at 6141 Hollywood Boulevard.

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