---
name: "Victor Fleming"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/victor-fleming"
fi1m_id: "victor-fleming"
imdb_id: "nm0281808"
tmdb_id: 9049
wikidata_id: "Q62503"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "23 February 1889"
died: "6 January 1949"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "director"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-24T23:22:14.902171+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Victor Fleming

## Identity

Victor Fleming

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/victor-fleming
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** victor-fleming
- **IMDb ID:** nm0281808
- **TMDB ID:** 9049
- **Wikidata ID:** Q62503
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Fleming, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q62503, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281808/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9049

Director. Born 23 February 1889 in La Cañada, California, USA. Died 6 January 1949.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 23 February 1889, La Cañada, California, USA
- **Died:** 6 January 1949
- **Active:** 1916–1939
- **Also known as:** Віктор Флемінг
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 5: 4 directing, 1 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Clark Gable](https://film.one/person/clark-gable.md), [Lionel Barrymore](https://film.one/person/lionel-barrymore.md), [Louis D. Lighton](https://film.one/person/louis-d-lighton.md), [Spencer Tracy](https://film.one/person/spencer-tracy.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as director, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1910s 83 (1), 1930s 80 (4)
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Adventure 3, Drama 3, Family 2, Romance 2, Fantasy 1, War 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $436m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Fleming, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q62503, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281808/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9049

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Wizard of Oz*](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md) (91), [*Gone with the Wind*](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md) (74)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Victor Fleming

> Victor Fleming gives stars room to work, and we value him for it. His handling of large productions is impressive, though *Gone with the Wind* needs more restraint and depends heavily on Vivien Leigh to reward our patience.

In *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Vivien Leigh makes Scarlett O’Hara’s selfishness absorbing enough to sustain a long evening. Her romantic troubles are given the weight of a war drama, a considerable demand to make of an actor. Fleming’s film is worth the effort largely because she can meet it. We would sooner begin an account of his work with Leigh than with the size of the production.

His MGM work from 1932 centred on action pictures and star vehicles, including *Red Dust* (1932), with Clark Gable, and *Captains Courageous* (1937), with Spencer Tracy. He made five films with Gable and three with Tracy. He favoured stationary camera work, letting performances guide framing and editing, a sensible approach when the stars can hold our attention. Cinematographer Harold Rosson was another regular collaborator, working with him on five films.

Fleming was also repeatedly called in to rescue troubled productions, which complicates the question of what belongs to him. He took over both *The Wizard of Oz* (1939) and *Gone with the Wind* during production. David O. Selznick produced the latter, and we would be wary of assigning all its virtues and excesses to the man with the director’s credit. The familiar description of Fleming as a reliable craftsman is reasonable, though getting a faltering production finished requires judgement as well as stamina.

We grew impatient with *Gone with the Wind* because its second half keeps extending Scarlett’s troubles beyond the point where they remain absorbing. Its indulgence of a slaveholding society is a more serious failing, and the scale gives us no reason to excuse it. Even so, Leigh makes Scarlett worth spending time with, despite the considerable demands she places on everyone’s patience. Begin there if a sprawling romance appeals, but set aside 238 minutes and do not expect Fleming to hurry.

## Biography

Victor Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer and producer. He directed *The Wizard of Oz* (1939) and *Gone with the Wind* (1939), for which he received sole director credit on the former and the Academy Award for Best Director on the latter.

Born in California in 1889, Fleming entered the film industry as a stunt driver around 1910 and later worked as a cinematographer, including on productions for D.W. Griffith. He directed a series of features in the 1920s and 1930s, among them *Red Dust* (1932), *Treasure Island* (1934) and *Captains Courageous* (1937). Fleming died in Arizona in 1949.

*Sources: britannica.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

### Directed (4) — the average rests on these

- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Fi1m 91, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)
- *Test Pilot* (1938), Fi1m 73, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/test-pilot.md)
- *Captains Courageous* (1937), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/captains-courageous.md)

### Crew (1)

- *Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages* (1916), Fi1m 83, Second Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/intolerance-loves-struggle-throughout-the-ages.md)

## Complete filmography (61)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Dark Side of the Rainbow* (2000), Director
- *Joan of Arc* (1948), Director
- *Adventure* (1945), Director
- *A Guy Named Joe* (1944), Director
- *Tortilla Flat* (1942), Director
- *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (1941), Director
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Director, Producer — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)
- *The Great Waltz* (1938), Co-Director
- *Test Pilot* (1938), Director — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/test-pilot.md)
- *Captains Courageous* (1937), Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/captains-courageous.md)
- *The Farmer Takes a Wife* (1935), Director
- *Reckless* (1935), Director
- *Treasure Island* (1934), Director
- *Bombshell* (1933), Director
- *The White Sister* (1933), Director
- *Red Dust* (1932), Director, Producer
- *The Wet Parade* (1932), Director
- *Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks* (1931), Director, Director of Photography
- *Renegades* (1930), Director, Producer
- *Common Clay* (1930), Director
- *The Virginian* (1929), Director
- *Wolf Song* (1929), Director
- *The Awakening* (1928), Director
- *Abie's Irish Rose* (1928), Director
- *The Way of All Flesh* (1927), Director
- *The Rough Riders* (1927), Director
- *Hula* (1927), Director
- *Mantrap* (1926), Director
- *The Blind Goddess* (1926), Director
- *Lord Jim* (1925), Director
- *A Son of His Father* (1925), Director
- *Adventure* (1925), Director, Producer
- *The Devil's Cargo* (1925), Director
- *Empty Hands* (1924), Director
- *Code of the Sea* (1924), Director
- *The Call of the Canyon* (1923), Director
- *To the Last Man* (1923), Director
- *Law of the Lawless* (1923), Director
- *Dark Secrets* (1923), Director
- *Anna Ascends* (1922), Director
- *Red Hot Romance* (1922), Director
- *The Lane That Had No Turning* (1922), Director
- *Woman's Place* (1921), Director
- *Mama's Affair* (1921), Director
- *The Mollycoddle* (1920), Director
- *When the Clouds Roll By* (1919), Director, Writer
- *Reaching for the Moon* (1917), Cinematography
- *The Man from Painted Post* (1917), Director of Photography
- *Wild and Woolly* (1917), Director of Photography
- *The Americano* (1916), Director of Photography
- *The Matrimaniac* (1916), Director of Photography
- *American Aristocracy* (1916), Cinematography
- *Manhattan Madness* (1916), Director of Photography
- *Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages* (1916), Second Assistant Director — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/intolerance-loves-struggle-throughout-the-ages.md)
- *The Half-Breed* (1916), Cinematography
- *An Innocent Magdalene* (1916), Director of Photography
- *Macbeth* (1916), Director of Photography
- *The Good Bad-Man* (1916), Director of Photography
- *The Habit of Happiness* (1916), Director of Photography
- *Betty of Greystone* (1916), Cinematography

## Gallery

- ![David O. Selznick, Vivien Leigh and Victor Fleming in Gone with the Wind (1939).](https://film.one/media/person/103509/gallery-1fd45be2a468.jpg) David O. Selznick, Vivien Leigh and Victor Fleming in Gone with the Wind (1939). — Selznick International Pictures; Fred Parrish, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Gone_with_the_Wind_%28Selznick%2C_Leigh_%26_Fleming%29.jpg/1280px-Gone_with_the_Wind_%28Selznick%2C_Leigh_%26_Fleming%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Swedish film actress Ingrid Bergman & American film director Victor Fleming (1948)](https://film.one/media/person/103509/gallery-1873bf56fff9.jpg) Swedish film actress Ingrid Bergman & American film director Victor Fleming (1948) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Ingrid_Bergman_%26_Victor_Fleming.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![A behind-the-scene candid photo of Olivia de Havilland and director Victor Fleming on the set of Gone With the Wind (1939). L-R, Fleming, de Havilland, and Loui](https://film.one/media/person/103509/gallery-2c605372fed4.jpg) A behind-the-scene candid photo of Olivia de Havilland and director Victor Fleming on the set of Gone With the Wind (1939). L-R, Fleming, de Havilland, and Loui — Selznick International Pictures; Fred Parrish, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Olivia_de_Havilland_on_the_set_of_Gone_With_The_Wind.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Director Victor Fleming, Roosevelt biographer Hermann Hagedorn, and potential Theodore Roosevelt doubles on the set of The Rough Riders. Text from back of photo (1926)](https://film.one/media/person/103509/gallery-6bc2ba905ce9.jpg) Director Victor Fleming, Roosevelt biographer Hermann Hagedorn, and potential Theodore Roosevelt doubles on the set of The Rough Riders. Text from back of photo (1926) — Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Victor_Fleming%2C_Hermann_Hagedorn%2C_and_potential_Roosevelt_doubles_on_the_set_of_The_Rough_Riders.jpg/1280px-Victor_Fleming%2C_Hermann_Hagedorn%2C_and_potential_Roosevelt_doubles_on_the_set_of_The_Rough_Riders.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Victor Fleming](https://film.one/media/person/103509/gallery-86c40ed2660b.jpg) Victor Fleming — Image via TMDB
- ![Victor Fleming](https://film.one/media/person/103509/gallery-d13ddc11adda.jpg) Victor Fleming — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1940: Best Director (won), for *Gone with the Wind*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/victor-fleming