Editing William Wyler (section)

==Early life==

Wyler was born to a [[Ashkenazi Jews|Jewish]] family<ref name=Wakeman>Wakeman, John, ed. ''World Film Directors: Vol. I, 1890–1945''. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1987. {{ISBN|978-0-8242-0757-1}}.</ref>{{rp|1220}} in [[Mulhouse]], [[Alsace-Lorraine]] (then part of the [[German Empire]]) (now [[France]]).<ref name=Madsen>Madsen, Axel. ''William Wyler: the Authorized Biography''. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1973. {{ISBN|0-491-01302-7}}</ref>{{rp|3}} His [[Swiss nationality law|Swiss]]-born father, Leopold, started as a [[Door-to-door|traveling salesman]] but later became a thriving [[haberdasher]] in Mulhouse.<ref name=Herman>Herman, Jan. ''A Talent for Trouble: The Life of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995. {{ISBN|0-399-14012-3}}</ref>{{rp|37}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ina.fr/video/I00001907|title=William Wyler à propos de ses origines et de ses films|publisher=Institut National de l'Audiovisuel|date=1957-05-15|language=fr-FR|access-date=2017-05-09}}</ref> His mother, Melanie (née Auerbach;<ref name=anb>{{cite web|url=http://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-02119.html|title=Wyler, William (1902-1981), American film director and producer - American National Biography|website=anb.org|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> died February 13, 1955, [[Los Angeles]], aged 77), was [[German nationality law|German]]-born, and a cousin of [[Carl Laemmle]], founder of [[Universal Pictures]]. During Wyler's childhood, he attended a number of schools and developed a reputation as "something of a hellraiser", being expelled more than once for misbehavior.<ref name=Wakeman/>{{rp|1222}} His mother often took him and his older brother [[Robert Wyler|Robert]] to [[concert]]s, [[opera]], and the [[Theater (building)|theatre]], as well as the [[Silent film|early cinema]]. Sometimes at home his family and their friends would stage amateur theatricals for personal enjoyment.<ref name=Wakeman/>{{rp|1223}}

Wyler was supposed to inherit the family haberdashery business in Mulhouse, France. After [[World War I]], he spent a dismal year working in [[Paris]] at ''100.000 [[Chemise]]s'' selling shirts and ties. He was so poor that he often spent his time wandering around the [[Place Pigalle|Pigalle]] district. After realizing that Willy was not interested in the haberdashery business, his mother, Melanie, contacted her distant cousin, [[Carl Laemmle]], who owned [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], about opportunities for him.

Laemmle was in the habit of coming to [[Europe]] each year, searching for promising young men who would work in [[United States|America]]. In 1921, Wyler, while traveling as a [[Swiss nationality law|Swiss citizen]] (his father's status automatically conferred Swiss citizenship on his sons), met Laemmle who hired him to work at [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] in [[New York City|New York]]. As Wyler said: "America seemed as far away as the moon." Booked onto a ship to New York with Laemmle for his return voyage, Wyler met a young [[Czechs|Czech]] man, [[Paul Kohner]] (later the famous independent agent), aboard the same ship. Their enjoyment of the first class trip was short-lived, however, as they found they had to repay the cost of the passage out of their $25 weekly income as messengers to Universal Pictures. After working in New York for several years, and even serving in the [[New York Army National Guard]] for a year, Wyler moved to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] to become a director.<ref name=Herman/>{{rp|37}}