Legendary Hollywood director and alumnus Clarence Brown was known for his films with Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Rudolph Valentino, Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Elizabeth Taylor, among others. Before he discovered his passion for filmmaking, Brown studied engineering at UT and graduated in 1910. He worked as an expert auto mechanic before he convinced French director Maurice Tourneur to take him on as an assistant. Brown began his career during the silent film era and continued after the transition to so-called talkies. His classic films include The Yearling, Intruder in the Dust, Anna Christie, and National Velvet. Brown gave a substantial donation for the construction of the Clarence Brown Theatre and attended the ceremony when it opened on November 13, 1970. “This [theatre] represents a climax of my complete life,” Brown said. “It’s a thing I’m prouder of than anything I’ve ever done.”