Few film directors have demonstrated the depth, range, longevity, and sensitivity that William Wyler gave to the American screen. Yet like many of the early Hollywood destiny shapers, Wyler possessed neither a background in the arts nor even an all-American upbringing. Born in Alsace-Lorraine of German-Swiss-Jewish parentage, he was schooled in Switzerland and prepared for a career as a haberdasher in Paris. During a visit to his parents' home in 1920 he met Carl Laemmle, his mother's cousin from America and president of Universal Studios. Laemmle, a former clothing merchant himself, had no
