Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Maude Evelyn Schwab, a model, and Frank Eugene Blumenthal. His family relocated to Los Angeles in 1934 after his father's business failed. Gene's early career in the film industry began as an extra in Our Gang comedies while studying drama at the Pasadena Playhouse. He was contracted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at the age of 14 to play juvenile roles in classic features like Captains Courageous and Boys Town.
Gene served in the navy for four years before moving to New York to pursue work in television. He was featured in Paramount's The Country Girl and later cast in a bit part in The Bridges at Toko-Ri. Feeling unfulfilled in his acting career, Gene transitioned behind the scenes, working in casting, directing, and writing.
Gene co-created the popular western series Tales of Wells Fargo and spent the 1960s directing episodic television. He was signed by 20th Century Fox and produced and directed the pilot for The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. Gene was instrumental in the success of M*A*S*H, producing and directing the pilot episode, and was responsible for casting Alan Alda, McLean Stevenson, and Jamie Farr.
As executive producer and frequent director of M*A*S*H, Gene won six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Writer's Guild of America Award. He also received four Director's Guild of America Awards and served as President of the Director's Guild from 1993 to 1997. Gene passed away on February 3, 2020, at the age of 96.
