Appeared as actor in the early part of the century under the name Chad Applegate.
Before becoming a director, Wood had worked on pipelines for an oil company.
Directed 11 actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Martha Scott, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Katina Paxinou, Akim Tamiroff, Ingrid Bergman and Flora Robson. Donat, Paxinou and Rogers won Oscars for their performances in one of Wood's movies.
Ex-father-in-law of Hugh Marlowe and Joe Sawyer.
Father of actresses K.T. Stevens and Jeane Wood.
Former real estate broker.
Late in his life, he served as the President of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a right-wing political organization whose aim was to ferret out "subversives" in Hollywood. In this capacity, he provided key testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, helping to fan fears of Communist influence in the U.S. film industry.
The Wood sisters Natalie Wood, Lana Wood, and Olga Wood were named after him.