During his career, he worked with directors Howard Hawks, Max Ophüls, Josef von Sternberg, Alfred Hitchcock, King Vidor, Nicholas Ray and Henry Hathaway, whom he had met as a young man when the two first came to Hollywood in the silent era.

He also co-directed two films with legendary screenwriter Ben Hecht: Angels Over Broadway and Actors and Sin.

Garmes was married to film actress Ruth Hall from 1933 until his death in 1978.

He is interred in the Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

According to American Cinematographer magazine, "Although officially unaccredited, Lee Garmes photographed a considerable portion of Gone with the Wind.