Vincent Sherman
Vincent Sherman (born Abraham Orovitz, July 16, 1906 – June 18, 2006) was an American director and actor who worked in Hollywood. His movies include Mr. Skeffington (1944), Nora Prentiss (1947), and The Young Philadelphians (1959).
Also recorded as Abraham Orovitz
Vincent Sherman

unknown (Warner Bros.) · Public domain
- Name
- Vincent Sherman
- Born
- 16 July 1906
- Birth Name
- Abraham Orovitz
- Birthplace
- Vienna, Georgia, USA
- Died
- 18 June 2006
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California
- Spouse
- Hedda Comorau (1931–1984; her death)
- Full name
- Abraham Orovitz.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- actor · screenwriter · director
- Education
- Oglethorpe University
- Languages
- English
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Vincent Sherman (born Abraham Orovitz, July 16, 1906 – June 18, 2006) was an American director and actor who worked in Hollywood. His movies include Mr. Skeffington (1944), Nora Prentiss (1947), and The Young Philadelphians (1959).
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1972350 · wikipedia · Vincent Sherman
In this article
Biography
Biography
He began his career as an actor on Broadway and later in film. He directed B-movies for Warner Bros. And then moved to directing to A-pictures. He was a good friend of actor Errol Flynn, whom he directed in Adventures of Don Juan (1949). He directed three Joan Crawford movies: The Damned Don't Cry (1950), Harriet Craig (1950), and Goodbye, My Fancy (1951).
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Vincent Sherman • Born — 16 July 1906 • Birth Name — Abraham Orovitz • Birthplace — Vienna, Georgia, USA • Died — 18 June 2006 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California • Years Active — 1928–1983 • Spouse — Hedda Comorau (1931–1984; her death) • Children — 2 • Website — http: www.vincentsherman.com/
Early life
Early life
Sherman was born Abraham Orovitz to Jewish parents. He was born and raised in the small town of Vienna, Georgia, where his father was a dry-goods salesman. Not long after graduating from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, he became a professional actor.
Career
Career
Sherman arrived in New York City to sell a play and soon became a stage director and actor. As a stage actor, he made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Eugene O’Neill’s Marco Millions (1928). He arrived in Hollywood during the early sound era, where he appeared in William Wyler's 1933 film Counsellor at Law starring John Barrymore. In 1938, Sherman signed on at Warner Bros. as a director. His first film as a director was the 1939 horror film The Return of Doctor X, which starred Humphrey Bogart. The 2006 release of The Return of Doctor X included a director's commentary that Sherman had recorded that year at the age of 99. Sherman quickly built a reputation for his ability to rewrite any script he was given and turn it into the basis for a successful film. It was these skills that led him to much bigger and star-studded pictures. Sherman was initially known as a "woman's director" during the mid 1940s, but his range expanded as his career developed. After his film career wound up, Sherman ended his career in television. In 2004, he was the oldest of 21 individuals interviewed in the documentary film Imaginary Witness, a work that chronicled 60 years of film-making about the Holocaust.
Personal life
Personal life
Sherman was married to Hedda (née Comorau) from 1931 until her death in 1984. The Shermans had two children together, a son, Eric Sherman, and a daughter, Hedwin Naimark. Sherman had a number of high-profile affairs during his life, including on-set affairs with Bette Davis and a three-year relationship with Joan Crawford. In his memoir Studio Affairs: My Life as a Film Director, he described his relationships with Crawford and Rita Hayworth. Until his death in 2006, he had been in a decade-long relationship with actress Francine York.
Death
Death
Sherman died on June 18, 2006, at age 99, at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.
Actor
Actor
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1933 — Counsellor at Law — Harry Becker • 1934 — Speed Wings — Mickey • The Crime of Helen Stanley — Karl Williams • One Is Guilty — William Malcolm • Hell Bent for Love — Johnny Frank • Midnight Alibi — Black Mike • Girl in Danger — Willie Tolini
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1906–2006
The full dated record · 3 entries
1906
Vincent Sherman born at Vienna.
1947
La Sentencia ( Nora Prentiss) Vincent Sherman ( 1947) (1947) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2006
Vincent Sherman died at Woodland Hills.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Vienna.
Birth place
Woodland Hills.
Death place
Director (feature film)
• Year — Title — Notes • 1939 — The Return of Doctor X • 1940 — Saturday's Children • The Man Who Talked Too Much • 1941 — Flight from Destiny • Underground • 1942 — All Through the Night • Across the Pacific • 1943 — The Hard Way • Old Acquaintance • The Present with a Future — Short film • 1944 — In Our Time • Mr. Skeffington • 1945 — Pillow to Post • 1946 — Janie Gets Married • 1947 — Nora Prentiss • The Unfaithful • 1948 — Adventures of Don Juan — Alternative title: The New Adventures of Don Juan • 1949 — The Hasty Heart • 1950 — Backfire • The Damned Don't Cry • Harriet Craig • 1951 — Goodbye, My Fancy • 1952 — Lone Star • Affair in Trinidad • 1957 — The Garment Jungle • 1958 — The Naked Earth • 1959 — The Young Philadelphians • 1960 — Ice Palace • 1961 — A Fever in the Blood • The Second Time Around • 1967 — Cervantes — Alternative title: Young Rebel
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1972350: Vincent Sherman
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Vincent Sherman”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- Review: Studio Affairs: My Life as a Film Director by Vincent Sherman, Film Quarterly, 1997
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 1997
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Review: Studio Affairs: My Life as a Film Director by Vincent Sherman, Film Quarterly, 1997Crossref registry
Verifiedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Vincent Sherman was recorded at birth as Abraham Orovitz. The authorities additionally record the heading Abraham Orovitz. His recorded language was English. Recorded as actor, screenwriter and director.
Identity and origins
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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