From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Busby Berkeley (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berkeley's works used large numbers of showgirls and props as fantasy elements in kaleidoscopic on-screen performances. Description above from the Wikipedia article Busby Berkeley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.