From Grokipedia
Full articleRobert Wyler (born Robert Weiller; September 25, 1900 – January 17, 1971) was a Swiss-American screenwriter, producer, and occasional director best known for his collaborations with his younger brother, three-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker William Wyler, on several acclaimed Hollywood productions.
Born in Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, Alsace (then part of the German Empire, now France), to Jewish parents Leopold Weiller, a traveling salesman, and Melanie Auerbach, Wyler grew up in a family with ties to the early American film industry through their uncle, Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle. The family emigrated to the United States in the early 20th century, where Wyler anglicized his surname and entered the film business, initially working in various capacities before focusing on writing and production.
Wyler's career highlights include co-adapting Sidney Kingsley's play for the 1951 film Detective Story, directed by his brother and starring Kirk Douglas, which earned a Writers Guild of America nomination for Best Written American Drama. He served as associate producer on the 1953 romantic comedy Roman Holiday, William Wyler's acclaimed directorial effort featuring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in her breakout role. Additionally, Wyler contributed to the screenplay and production of the 1958 epic Western The Big Country, another collaboration with his brother that starred Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston and won Burl Ives an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His work often emphasized dramatic storytelling and family-oriented projects, reflecting the Wyler brothers' shared influence on mid-20th-century American cinema.
In his personal life, Wyler married actress Cathy O'Donnell on April 11, 1948; the couple met during her work on one of William Wyler's films and remained together until her death from cancer on their 22nd anniversary in 1970. Wyler himself passed away less than a year later in Los Angeles from a heart attack, at the age of 70, and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
In brief
Robert Wyler (September 25, 1900 – January 17, 1971) was an American film producer and associate producer. He was the older brother of film director William Wyler and a nephew of Universal Studios head Carl Laemmle. Wyler was born in Mülhausen, Alsace, Germany (now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France).
His first credit was as a producer in 1928, and he made several unsuccessful attempts at directing in the early 1930s. Wyler found success in the late 1940s and 1950s. He was associate producer of his brother's adaptation of The Heiress (1949), which was nominated for Best Film at the Academy Awards and won its star, Olivia de Havilland, her second Oscar.
