Biography
John Lee Mahin was an American screenwriter and producer active in Hollywood from the early 1930s to the 1960s. Born on 23 August 1902 in Evanston, Illinois, he attended Harvard University and worked in advertising in New York before entering film through connections with Ben Hecht. He received his first screen credit on Red Dust (1932).
Mahin wrote or co-wrote numerous films, often for MGM and frequently in collaboration with director Victor Fleming. His credits include Scarface (1932), Treasure Island (1934), Naughty Marietta (1935), Captains Courageous (1937), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), Quo Vadis (1951), Mogambo (1953), The Bad Seed (1956), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) and The Horse Soldiers (1959). He also contributed to Show Boat (1951). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Screenplay for Captains Courageous and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, and was awarded the Screen Writers Guild Laurel Award in 1958. He died on 18 April 1984 in Santa Monica, California.
