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Orr, William T.

Born September 27, 1917;

New York City, New York, USA

Died December 25, 2002;
Los Angeles, California, USA

Maverick Executive Producer[1]

William T. Orr began his career as an actor and moved from New York to Los Angeles to get into film. After serving in World War II, he returned to Hollywood and married Joy Page, the step-daughter of Warner Bros. studio chief, Jack Warner. A year later, Warner made him one of his assistants, bringing to life the affirmation that “the son-in-law also rises.”

He had an ability to spot new talent, and brought such names as Marlon Brando, James Dean and Paul Newman to the studio. in the mid-1950s, he was put in charge of Warner Bros. television department. As Executive Producer of the studio’s earliest ventures into the new medium, he helped to establish ABC as a prime-time force with a steady supply of Warner-produced westerns and detective shows.