He was hired by the Peerless Studio at Fort Lee, New Jersey, and became an assistant to the French-born director Maurice Tourneur.

[6] After serving as a fighter pilot and flight instructor in the United States Army Air Service during World War I,[7][8][9][10][11] Brown was given his first co-directing credit (with Tourneur) for The Great Redeemer (1920).

At MGM he was one of the main directors of their major female stars, he directed Joan Crawford six times and Greta Garbo seven.

[12] Brown retired a wealthy man due to his real estate investments, but refused to watch new movies.

[20] Brown died at the Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California from kidney failure on August 17, 1987, at the age of 97.

[21] On February 8, 1960, Brown received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1752 Vine Street, for his contributions to the motion pictures industry.