Joined the British cavalry at the age of 21

Diagnosed as shell-shocked during World War I; turned to stage acting as therapy (date approximate)

British film acting debut in "The Happy Warrior"

Made London stage debut in a small role in Arthur Pinero's "The Freaks"

Had supporting parts in two London stage comedies: "Our Mr. Hipplewhite" and A A Milne's "Mr Pim Passes By"; also had larger role in an English film, "The Lackey and the Lady"

Formed Minerva Films, Ltd with three partners; served as director while Adrian Brunel acted as producer; produced a few critically acclaimed films on a shoestring budget including "Bookworms", "Five Pounds Reward" and "The Bump"

Was critically panned in Broadway debut in "Just Suppose"

Wrote articles and stories for The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Reader's Digest

Appeared in the Broadway productions "The Wren", "Outward Bound", and "A Serpent's Tooth"

Starred in first Broadway smash "The Green Hat"

Wrote, produced, directed and starred in the Broadway play "Murray Hill"

Solidified popularity with theater critics in the bedroom farce "Her Cardboard Lover"

Produced "Berkeley Square" in London; later brought play to NYC

American movie debut in "Outward Bound", reprising stage performance

Featured in "Never the Twain Shall Meet"

Served as actor, director and co-producer of Philip Barry's adult stage drama "The Animal Kingdom"; was responsible for having the then-unknown Katharine Hepburn fired from the production

Co-starred with Clark Gable and Norma Shearer in "A Free Soul"

Re-teamed with Shearer for the film "Smilin' Through"

Received first Oscar nomination for performance in "Berkeley Square"

Starred as the titular swashbuckler in "The Scarlet Pimpernel"

Appeared in the stage production "The Petrified Forest" opposite Humphrey Bogart

Joined Bogart and Bette Davis in the film version of "The Petrified Forest"

Co-starred with Shearer as star-crossed lovers in "Romeo and Juliet"

Acted in "It's Love I'm After" opposite Davis and Olivia de Havilland

Received Venice Film Festival Best Actor Award and an Oscar nomination for lead performance as Henry Higgins in "Pygmalion"

Played Ashley Wilkes, the whiny, intellectual object of Scarlett O'Hara's affections, in the epic "Gone With the Wind", co-starring Gable and de Havilland

Produced "Intermezzo"; David O Selznick purportedly bribed him with this project in order to secure his participation in "Gone With the Wind"

Acted in World War II U-boat movie "The Forty-Ninth Parallel"

Starred in, directed and produced "Pimpernel Smith", an updated version of the "Scarlet Pimpernel" character, now set during World War II

Last feature film "First of the Few"

Directed documentary "White Eagle", which was nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar

Helmed the documentary "War in the Mediterranean"

Narrated the film "The Gentle Sex", about the sacrifice women were being called upon to make during the war effort

Devoted most of his time and energy to the war effort, directing films, writing articles and making radio broadcasts

Died when plane was shot down by Nazi fighters