Leslie Howard was an English actor, director, and producer best known for his portrayal as Ashley Wilkes in the film “Gone With the Wind.” He began his career as a theater actor, and was known for his distinctive Englishness, which made him the ideal option to play sophisticated and suave gents. He was born in London to a mixed-race household and acquired an early interest in show business as a result of his mother’s passion for dramatics. Leslie obtained a job as a bank clerk because his father wanted him to pursue a more stable career. This employment, however, did not satisfy the ambitious soul, and he went on to pursue a career as an actor on the London stage. He began his cinematic career after serving in World War I and quickly relocated to Hollywood in quest of greater opportunities. In the United States, he was well-liked for his polished good looks and refined demeanor. His roles in films such as “Gone with the Wind,” “Pimpernel” Smith,” and “Intermezzo” only added to his stardom. During World War II, he worked as an actor and filmmaker, as well as being involved in anti-German propaganda and rumored involvement with British or Allied Intelligence. The plane he was traveling in was shot down by German fighters over the Bay of Biscay in 1943, killing the legendary Hollywood star.
Childhood and Adolescence
Leslie Howard Steiner was born in London on April 3, 1893, to Lilian, a British mother, and Ferdinand Steiner, a Hungarian-Jewish father. He had four younger brothers and sisters. Dulwich College was where he acquired his education. He aspired to be an actor since he was a child, thanks to his mother’s enthusiasm in dramatics. On his father’s advice, he obtained a job as a bank clerk. He enlisted in the army and served as a subaltern in the Northamptonshire Yeomanry when World War I broke out. During the Somme catastrophe in 1916, he was invalided out of the service due to shell shock.
Career of Howard
Leslie Howard began acting seriously after making his debut cinema appearance in 1914 in his uncle Wilfred Noy’s picture ‘The Heroine of Mons.’ With his polished good looks and gentlemanly demeanor, he became a theatrical performer in London, where he enjoyed tremendous success. He migrated to the United States to pursue his acting career and became well-known on Broadway in New York City. His roles in plays such as ‘Aren’t We All?’ (1923), ‘Outward Bound’ (1924), ‘The Green Hat’ (1925), and ‘Her Cardboard Lover’ (1926) earned him praise (1927).
Howard made his American film debut in 1930, playing Tom Prior in ‘Outward Bound,’ a character that was different from the one he had played on stage. His Hollywood career was effectively launched as a result of this. Over the years, he starred in a number of notable films, frequently sharing screen time with some of Hollywood’s most well-known actors. ‘A Free Soul,’ (1933), ‘Berkeley Square,’ (1933), and ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel,’ are among his films from this period (1934).
He was inundated with film offers after becoming a much-desired celebrity. However, he chose his roles wisely and only acted in roughly two films every year. In 1936, he co-starred in ‘The Petrified Forest,’ alongside Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. Howard was the one who suggested Bogart be cast in the film, and it helped to resurrect Bogart’s faltering career. In 1939, he co-starred in the film “Gone with the Wind,” alongside Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, and Olivia de Havilland, as Ashley Wilkes, an intelligent Southern gentleman. This would be his final film in the United States, as well as his most popular.
Leslie Howard returned to England to help with the war effort as World War II loomed. Throughout the war, he continued to work as an actor and filmmaker, starring in films such as ’49th Parallel’ (1941), ‘”Pimpernel” Smith’ (1941), and ‘The First of the Few’ (1942), the latter two of which he also directed and co-produced. Apart from films, he was also involved in anti-German propaganda and was suspected of working for British or Allied Intelligence. He was working on the film ‘The Lamp Still Burns’ in 1943, a study of the strains encountered by nurses in pre-NHS British hospitals, but he died before it was finished.
Major Projects of Howard
Leslie Howard is most recognized for his performance in the classic film ‘Gone with the Wind’ as Ashley Wilkes, the man with whom Scarlett O’Hara is obsessed. The historical romance, set in the American South in the nineteenth century, was a critical and economic success, becoming the highest-grossing picture at that point.
Personal History and Legacy
Howard had two children with Ruth Evelyn Martin, whom he married in 1916. As he grew older, his son followed in his father’s footsteps and became an actress. While married to Ruth, he is rumored to have had affairs with Tallulah Bankhead, Merle Oberon, and Conchita Montenegro. Rumors of affairs with Norma Shearer and Myrna Loy circulated as well. He also had an open mistress, Violette Cunnington, who also served as his secretary. He was killed on June 1, 1943, when his KLM plane was shot down by German fighters over the Bay of Biscay. He was 50 years old at the time. Several conspiracy theories have emerged as a result of this tragic tragedy. Following his death in 1944, British exhibitors rated him the second most popular local celebrity at the box office in the United Kingdom.
Estimated Net Worth
Check out Leslie Howard’s net worth in 2020. also the most recent information on Leslie Howard’s cars, income, salary, and lifestyle. Leslie Howard’s estimated net worth is $9 million, according to online sources (Wikipedia, Google Search, Yahoo Search). Her primary sources of income are film actor,film director,actor,stage actor,film producer,theater director. We don’t have enough information about Leslie Howard’s cars or lifestyle. These details will be updated as soon as possible.
Trivia
Humphrey Bogart was a close friend of this English actor, and his daughter was named after him.