Biography
George Fitzmaurice came to the States in the mid 1900s, and after working in theater as a set designer began writing for films in 1908. A director by the mid teens, he worked in a range of genres before hitting his stride in the '20s with several handsome romantic dramas:
The Cheat with
Pola Negri (which he also produced);
The Son of the Sheik,
Rudolph Valentino's final film; and
The Night of Love with
Ronald Colman. His notable films of the '30s include the Colman comedies
Raffles (co-directed with Henry D'Arrast) and
The Devil to Pay; the
Greta Garbo dramas
Mata Hari and
As You Desire Me; and The Last of Mrs. Cheyney; which the uncredited Fitzmaurice completed after its director Richard Boleslawsky died during production. ~ All Movie Guide