George Abbott
George Francis Abbott ( born June 25, 1887 in Forestville, New York, † 31 January 1995 in Miami Beach, Florida) was an American theater and film producer, director and author.
Life
George Abbott studied from 1907 first journalism at the University of Rochester, but turned to the drama already there. In 1911 he began a theater studies at Harvard University, where he participated in George Pierce Baker's drama course " 47 Workshop".
Abbott debuted on Broadway in 1913 and remained there as an actor until the mid- 1920s. In addition, he found in 1915 at the John Golden Theatre producer a job as "assistant casting director " and " associate playwright ". In 1923 he was selected for his role in the comedy Zander the Great among the ten best actors. In 1924, he played a major role in the Pulitzer Prize -winning drama Hell- Bent Fer Heaven by Hatcher Hughes.
His first major success as a writer and director had Abbott in 1926 with the Broadway drama that he co-wrote with Philip Dunning. Mainly in the period 1928-1932, he worked primarily as a director and screenwriter in Hollywood. His first successful self-produced play was the comedy Twentieth Century in 1932.
George Abbott initially worked as an actor, later as a writer ( dramatist ), director and producer in his more than seventy years of Broadway career. In addition, he made a name for himself as a "show doctor", said he, as co- director, producer or writer, to the revision and redesign of shows that are not satisfied during the tryouts or previews, participated.
Well-known theater directors like Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse and Harold Prince learned the craft of directing at Abbott.
Abbott was married three times, from the first marriage (1914 ) with Mrs. Ednah Levis emerged daughter Judith, the actress was in 1946 and the actor Tom Ewell married. Ednah died in 1930 and 1946 Abbott married Mary Sinclair from whom he was divorced in April 1951. On 21 November 1983, five months after his 96th birthday, he married Joy Valderrama.
Abbott died of a stroke in Miami Beach, four months and three weeks before his 108th birthday.