Leslie Howard Biography English actor Leslie Howard first gained recognition for his varied and successful stage career. When he finally transitioned into film, he made a name for himself with productions such as Berkeley Square, Pygmalion, and Gone with the Wind. Leslie Howard Steiner was born April 3, 1893 in Forest Hill, London, England. His parents were Ferdinand Steiner and Lillian Blumberg, of Hungarian and English descent respectively. Raised in a Jewish household, Howard obtained his secondary education from Dulwich College. Before entering the acting arena, Howard worked in a bank. But with the onset of World War I, Howard enlisted in the military and soon found himself fighting in the war. Before long, he was suffering from severe shell shock and was allowed to return home. Developing his love of acting on the stage, Howard began taking roles in earnest in 1917. While he performed in a variety of plays, his time on Broadway remains his most noted work. Productions such as Aren’t We All?, The Green Hat, and Outward Bound earned him both fans and respect. His star status was officially solidified in 1927, however, when he landed a starring role in the well-received play Her Cardboard Lover. Attracting the attention of filmmakers with his impressive stage career, Howard made his onscreen debut in 1914 with the short The Heroine of Mons. He followed with The Happy Warrior and The Lackey and the Lady.
After steady work in Hollywood, Howard had his first sizable exposure with The Animal Kingdom in 1932. He shared the screen with Ann Harding and Myrna Loy. He had another hit the following year with Frank Lloyd’s fantasy romance Berkeley Square. Playing Peter Standish, Howard reprised his wildly popular stage rendition for the cameras. And the adaptation paid off, as Howard earned his first Oscar nomination for the role. Howard’s career received yet another boost with the very well-received 1934 film Of Human Bondage. Directed by John Cromwell, Howard appeared beside Bette Davis. Davis ultimately earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Mildred Rogers. Howard went on to portray the title character in The Scarlet Pimpernel with Merle Oberon, and he had another starring role in The Petrified Forest opposite Humphrey Bogart. In 1936, he played Romeo in George Cukor’s adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet. Norma Shearer portrayed Juliet, while John Barrymore played Mercutio. Two years later, his second Oscar nomination came with the starring role in Pygmalion. Howard starred in and directed the work which also featured Wendy Hiller. But it was 1939 that would bring Howard his most memorable role to date. Landing the part of Ashley Wilkes, Howard appeared in the now classic Gone with the Wind opposite Vivien Leigh, George Reeves, Hattie McDaniel, Olivia de Havilland, and Clark Gable.
In his last major Hollywood production, Howard and Laurence Olivier appeared in 49th Parallel. Howard passed away on June 1, 1943 when his plane was shot down by German Junkers. It is widely believed that the shooting was a deliberate attempt on Howard’s life, as he was a fantastic tool of English pride during World War II. In his personal life, Howard was married to Ruth Evelyn Martin from March of 1916 until his death. They had two children together, Ronald Howard and Leslie Ruth Howard. Rumors circulated during his life that Howard was a womanizer, allegedly having affairs with women such as Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Mary Pickford, Ingrid Bergman, and others. | 
