Leslie Howard

Leslie HoWard Steiner was a twice Academy AWard-nominated actor, born April 3, 1893, the eldest son of Hungarian Ferdinand Steiner and his British wife, Lillian Blumberg.

His interest in acting was encouraged by his mother, who set up a drama club. His father on the other hand, wished for him to obtain a steady job as a bank clerk. Although HoWard detested the job, he took up the post for two years before he resigned to join the British calvary at the start of the First World War.

He spent two years in the army before he was diagnosed as suffering from shell-shock and returned home. He soon met his future wife, Ruth Martin, who became the mother of his son (Ronald HoWard) and his daughter (Leslie Ruth HoWard). By the 1920s he had pursued his acting career again, participating in various films and stage work, some of which he wrote and produced himself.

His first talking film, 'OutWard Bound' (1930), was based on a play which he himself had starred in. Over the course of the decade he made many more successful films, including 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' (1934), 'Romeo and Juliet' (1936), 'Intermezzo' (1939) (or 'Intermezzo: A Love Story') and 'Gone with the Wind', in which he played Ashley Wilkes, a role which many people consider to be internationally his best known character. By the end of 1930s he had achieved two Oscar nominations, (both for the best actor aWard) for 'Berkeley Square' (1933) and 'Pygmalion' (1938).

When World War II broke out, HoWard left Hollywood and returned to Britain, where he produced and directed (as well as starred in) many propaganda films. These films include 'Pimpernel Smith' (1941), '49th Parallel' (1941), 'The First Of The Few' (1942) and 'The Gentle Sex' (1943).

He was in the middle of filming his current project 'The Lamp Still Burns', when after having visited Portugal, his plane home was targeted by the Luftwaffe and shot down over the Bay of Biscay on June 1, 1943. No survivors were found, and HoWard was presumed dead.

The news of his death was considered a national tragedy.



What members say | Filmography

Leslie Howard - what members say

Leslie Howard - filmography

5 most recent films

The First Of The Few - Blu-ray - 3.5 stars
The First Of The Few - 3.5 stars
Pimpernel Smith - 3.5 stars
49th Parallel - 3.0 stars
Gone with the Wind - 4.0 stars

5 highest-rated films

Gone With The Wind - Blu-ray - 4.0 stars
Pygmalion - 4.0 stars
Gone with the Wind - 4.0 stars
The First Of The Few - 3.5 stars
The Petrified Forest - 3.5 stars

5 lowest-rated films

The First Of The Few - Blu-ray - 3.5 stars
Berkeley Square - 3.5 stars
Pimpernel Smith - 3.5 stars
Of Human Bondage - 3.0 stars
Intermezzo - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars

David Niven - 5 times - show films
Anne Firth - 4 times - show films
Rosamund John - 4 times - show films
Roland Culver - 4 times - show films
J.H. Roberts - 4 times - show films

Most frequent directors

George Cukor - 7 times - show films
Victor Fleming - 7 times - show films
Sam Wood - 7 times - show films
Anthony Asquith - 2 times - show films
Harold Young - 2 times - show films