Brown moved toUniversal in 1924, and then toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he remained until the mid-1950s. At MGM he was one of the main directors of their major female stars; he directedJoan Crawford six times andGreta Garbo seven.
Brown's films gained a total of 38Academy Award nominations and earned nine Oscars. Though he never won a directing Oscar, Brown received five Academy Award nominations for six films, and in 1949, he won the British Academy Award for the film version ofWilliam Faulkner'sIntruder in the Dust. At the 1935Venice International Film Festival, he won Best Foreign Film forAnna Karenina, starring Garbo.
In 1957, Brown was awarded The George Eastman Award, given byGeorge Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.[12] Brown retired a wealthy man due to his real estate investments, but refused to watch new movies. He feared they might cause him to restart his career.
Clarence Brown was married four times. His first marriage was to Paula Herndon Pratt in 1913, which lasted until their divorce in 1920.[14] The couple produced a daughter, Adrienne Brown.[15]
His second marriage was to Ona Wilson, which lasted from 1922 until their divorce in 1927.[16]
He was engaged toDorothy Sebastian[17] andMona Maris, although he did not marry either of them, with Maris later saying she ended their relationship because she had her "own ideas of marriage then."[18]
He married his third wife,Alice Joyce, in 1933 and they divorced in 1945.[19][20]
His last marriage was to Marian Spies in 1946, which lasted until his death in 1987.[20]
^In 1929/1930, Brown received one Academy Award nomination for two films. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, "As allowed by the award rules for this year, a single nomination could honor work in one or more films."
^In 1929/1930, Brown received one Academy Award nomination for two films. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, "As allowed by the award rules for this year, a single nomination could honor work in one or more films."
