Best known for his multiple marriages to Hollywood actresses, he helped produce the 1954 version of A Star is Born, a career comeback project for his second wife, Judy Garland.
As a young man, he was both an amateur boxer and a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot.
He began his career in Hollywood as an assistant to tap dancer and actress Eleanor Powell.
His first marriage, to actress Lynn Bari, lasted from 1943 until 1950 and resulted in one son. His next marriage, to Judy Garland, lasted three years and produced two children. His final two marriages were to Patti Hemingway and actress Camille Keaton.
Lorna Luft, his daughter with Judy Garland, had a career as an actress, though she achieved a lesser degree of fame than did her half-sister Liza Minnelli.