Early life Born to a Jewish family in
Brooklyn, New York, he had a brother and sons who were active in show business. He attended James Madison High School. He began writing a radio column for the
New York Evening Graphic, while studying journalism at
New York University. This led to him producing several ''
Rambling 'Round Radio Row'' featurettes for
Vitaphone,
Warner Brothers' short subject division (1932–33).
Screenwriter Wald's first feature credit was for the Warners movie
Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934); he provided the story along with
Paul Finder Moss at Warners. Wald provided the story (along with
Philip Epstein) for Universal's
Gift of Gab (1934). Wald then signed with Warners where would be based for many years. He worked on the script for ''
Maybe It's Love (1935) and the Rudy Vallée musical Sweet Music'' (1935).
Julius Epstein Wald worked on a series of scripts with
Julius J. Epstein: the drama
Living on Velvet (1935);
In Caliente (1935);
Broadway Gondolier (1935) (both uncredited);
Little Big Shot (1935);
Stars Over Broadway (1935);
I Live for Love (1935); and ''
Sons o' Guns'' (1936) with
Joe E. Brown. Other writers with whom Wald regularly worked were
Sig Herzig and
Warren Duff who were both on
Sing Me a Love Song (1937).
Richard Macaulay Wald worked on
Ready, Willing and Able (1937) based on a story by
Richard Macaulay. Wald, Macaulay, Duff and Herzig worked on
Varsity Show (1937). Wald did some work on
Ever Since Eve (1937). Wald and Macaulay collaborated on scripts for
Hollywood Hotel (1937);
The Gay Impostors (1938) for Vallée;
Garden of the Moon (1938);
Brother Rat (1938), based on the hit play; and
Hard to Get (1938) with
Dick Powell. Wald and Herzig were among the writers on
Going Places (1938) with Powell. He and Macaulay worked on
The Kid from Kokomo (1939), from a story by
Dalton Trumbo;
Naughty But Nice (1939) for Powell; and
On Your Toes (1939). Wald and Macaulay had both mostly worked on musicals but they had a big hit with the gangster film
The Roaring Twenties (1939), with
James Cagney and
Humphrey Bogart, co-written with
Robert Rossen. They worked on
Brother Rat and a Baby (1939) (uncredited);
3 Cheers for the Irish (1940), a comedy;
Torrid Zone (1940), with Cagney and
Ann Sheridan;
Flight Angels (1940);
Brother Orchid (1940);
They Drive by Night (1940) with
George Raft and Bogart;
Million Dollar Baby (1941), a comedy co written with
Casey Robinson;
Out of the Fog (1941) with Lupino, working with Rossen;
Manpower (1941) with Raft,
Edward G Robinson and
Marlene Dietrich.
Producer Wald was promoted to producer at the recommendation of
Mark Hellinger. His first credit was
Navy Blues (1941), which he also wrote with Macaulay. Wald also produced
The Long, Hot Summer (1958) with Paul Newman and
Joanne Woodward from the novel by
William Faulkner for Ritt;
In Love and War (1958), a war film with
Robert Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter directed by
Philip Dunne;
Mardi Gras (1958) a musical with
Pat Boone; and
The Sound and the Fury (1959), more Faulkner from Ritt with Woodward and
Yul Brynner. During this time Wald told the press that a filmmaker's motto should be "Don't offend the innocent but don't frustrate the intelligent." Wald produced
The Best of Everything (1959) with Crawford, directed by Negulesco;
Hound-Dog Man (1959), an attempt to make a film star of
Fabian Forte;
Beloved Infidel (1959) with Kerr and
Gregory Peck;
The Story on Page One (1959), written and directed by Odets, starring Hayworth.
Final films Wald spent a period in England to make
Sons and Lovers (1960). Back in Hollywood he produced ''
Let's Make Love'' (also 1960), Marilyn Monroe's penultimate film;
Return to Peyton Place (1961);
Wild in the Country (1961), an
Elvis Presley film written by Odets and directed by Dunne;
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) starring
James Stewart and Fabian; ''
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) for Ritt with Richard Beymer; The Stripper'' (1963) with Woodward and Beymer. He also produced the
Academy Awards telecast twice, the ceremonies for 1957 and 1958. In July 1961 Wald's contract with Fox was expanded from ten films over three years to 18 films over three years, starting in September. Films announced included
Adventures of A Young Man,
Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation,
The Enemy Within,
Lost Girl,
Ulysses, the remake of
Of ‘Human Bondage,
Let It Come Down,
Sextette,
Pink Tights and
High Wind in Jamaica. Among the films Wald was working on at the time of his death were adaptations of
The Enemy Within,
Ulysses and
A High Wind in Jamaica. ==Awards==