Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American
film director and
screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the
Academy Award for Best Director for
Skippy (1931). He became the youngest person ever to win the award, a record that still remains unbroken as of today. He was later nominated for Best Director for the film
Boys Town (1938). He directed some of the best known actors of the twentieth century, including his nephew
Jackie Cooper,
Spencer Tracy,
Mickey Rooney,
Judy Garland,
Deanna Durbin,
Fred Astaire,
Gene Kelly,
Deborah Kerr,
Peter Lawford,
Dean Martin,
Jerry Lewis, and
Elvis Presley. Taurog directed six
Martin and Lewis films, and nine Elvis Presley films, more than any other director. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Norman Taurog has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1600 Vine Street.