George Schaefer (director)

George Louis Schaefer ( born December 16, 1920 in Wallingford, Connecticut, † 10 September 1997 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He was also successful as a theater director.

Life

George Schaefer grew up in Oak Park in the U.S. state of Illinois and studied theater directing at the Yale University. As a young man he fought as a soldier in the Pacific War and staged for the soldiers at the front stage plays of all kinds

After his discharge from the United States Army, he moved to New York City, where he was the director of the play Hamlet on Broadway in December 1945. In the coming years, Schaefer staged a series of plays, including January-February 1951 Richard II by William Shakespeare. His most successful play was The Teahouse of the August Moon by Vern Sneider, which was a total 1027mal brought to the stage between October 1953 and March 1956. For this piece Schaefer in 1954, along with Maurice Evans won the Tony Award. His latest stage play was The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, which was produced by Schaefer in December 1973.

George Schaefer was in the 1950s as an innovative television producer who compiled its own Stage Ensemble, and plays, including Richard II or the Bible motive Give Us Barabbas as a live stage shows delivered directly into the American living room. For his production of Macbeth, he not only won the 1961 Emmy Award but also the Golden Lion at the International Film Festival in Berlin.

George Schaefer was elected president of the Directors Guild of America ( DGA) in 1979, the union of the directors in Hollywood. He held the office until 1981. Under U.S. President Ronald Reagan, he sat from 1982 to 1988 in the National Council on the Arts. Most recently, he was elected Film and Television Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, an office which Schaefer 1985 held until 1991.

He died at the age of 76 years.

Filmography (selection)

Awards

George Schaefer was 15 - times winner of the DGA Award, four times he could accept the award. He also has been nominated 22 times for an Emmy; Only four times in 1966. With five of these " TV Oscars" He was decorated.