About
From a car mechanic to one of the most prominent directors of Hollywood, Victor Fleming is known for directing two of the greatest movies in American cinema - The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939). Fleming, who was also a cinematographer and producer, met director Allan Dwan while he was working as a car mechanic. Dwan then took him under his assistance and Fleming later directed his first silent film in 1919. He subsequently directed movies such as Dark Secrets (1923), The Blind Goddess (1926), and Common Clay (1930).
In 1932, Fleming joined MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) and went on to direct some of the most successful movies for the studios such as Red Dust (1932), Bombshell (1933), Treasure Island (1934), Reckless (1935), and Captains Courageous (1937). Under Fleming's direction, Hattie McDaniel won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Vivien Leigh won the Best Actress Oscar for their roles in the movie Gone with the Wind (1939).
Fleming died of a heart attack on January 6, 1949.