by Sandra Brennan
biography
Director Marcel Varnel was born in Paris where he first entered show business as a theatrical actor. In the 1920s, he became a stage director; he moved to the U.S. in 1925 where he directed operettas, musicals, and dramas for the Schuberts on Broadway. In the early '30s, Varnel began directing low-budget thrillers for Fox; three years later, he moved to London to direct some of the most hilarious comedies of British cinema during the '30s and '40s. His son, Max Varnel, is also a director.
