David Belasco

David Belasco ( born July 25, 1853 in San Francisco, California, † May 14, 1931 in New York City ) was an American playwright, director, theater producer and screenwriter.

Life

Belasco was born as the son of Jewish immigrants who had arrived during the California Gold Rush, from London to the United States. In 1882 he moved to New York City where he worked as a stage manager and playwright. His plays were so successful that he was able to act as an independent theater producer from 1895. With the detail of its scenery and its advanced lighting technology, he was a pioneer of the naturalistic theater in the United States.

Belasco was a major representative of the American melodrama. On Broadway, he produced more than 100 pieces from his pen. In German-speaking countries he is known primarily by Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly and La Fanciulla del West, based on his melodramas. About 40 of his plays have been filmed.

As the first private theater took Belasco 1902, the Republic Theatre (today's New Victory Theatre ) on 42nd Street. In 1910 he acquired a theater on 44th Street, which is still called Belasco Theatre today. Many theaters in other cities are named after him.