~June Mathis~
Born: January 30, 1887 in Leadville, Colorado, USA Died: July 26, 1927 in New York City, New York, USA
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~June Mathis with Director Charles Brabin after meeting for the film "Ben Hur"~
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June Mathis came from a theatrical family; big-boned and plain-looking, she realized early on that
her acting roles would be limited in scope, so she turned to writing. June joined Metro's
scriptwriting staff in 1918, where her superior talents enabled her to gain in influence and prestige
with each passing year. It was June who recognized the potential in Rudolph Valentino,
encouraging Metro to cast the young actor in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1922). When
Metro lost Valentino to Paramount, Ms. Mathis made sure the higher-ups never forgot their
carelessness; thereafter her word was virtually law at the studio. A woman of considerable
accomplishments, June is generally condemned by come-lately film buffs for her "butchery" of
Erich Von Stroheim's Greed; she is the "culprit" who pared down Stroheim's 8-hour epic to a more
manageable 10 reels -- and perhaps as a result, the "unsaleable" film actually posted a profit. June
Mathis' influence at MGM (formerly Metro) came to an end when she was discharged along with
several other studio personnel during the expensive Ben-Hur debacle. After losing her MGM job,
June Mathis was signed as principal screenwriter by film star Colleen Moore, a position June held
until her sudden death in 1927.
Biography by Hal Erickson, AllMovie.com
