Leslie Howard

Biography

Leslie Howard Steiner (born April 3, 1893 – died June 1, 1943) was a prominent English actor, director, and producer. He contributed numerous articles and stories to esteemed publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair, and became one of the leading box-office attractions and film stars of the 1930s.

Howard’s career spanned both the British film industry and Hollywood. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Ashley Wilkes in the classic film Gone with the Wind (1939). He frequently portrayed the archetypal English gentleman in a variety of films, including Berkeley Square (1933), Of Human Bondage (1934), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), The Petrified Forest (1936), Pygmalion (1938), Intermezzo (1939), "Pimpernel" Smith (1941), and The First of the Few (1942). His performances in Berkeley Square and Pygmalion earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

In addition to his acting career, Howard was active during World War II, contributing to anti-German propaganda efforts and bolstering support for the Allies. His work was later recognized as a significant element of British propaganda. There were also rumors of his involvement with British or Allied Intelligence, which fueled conspiracy theories surrounding his untimely death in 1943 when BOAC Flight 777, carrying him, was shot down by the Luftwaffe over the Atlantic near Cedeira, A Coruña.