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Abbott IMX, Abbott Chemistry Analyzers, IMX Systems, Abbott IMX... blockscientific.com |
For other persons named George Abbott, see George Abbott (disambiguation).
George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than seven decades.
[edit] Biography[edit] Early yearsAbbott was born in Forestville, New York, near the town of Salamanca, which twice elected his father mayor. In 1898, his family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he attended Kearney Military Academy. Within a few years, his family returned to New York, and he graduated from Hamburg High School in 1907. Four years later, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester, where he wrote his first play, Perfectly Harmless, for the University Dramatic Club. Abbott then went to Harvard University, where he studied playwriting under George Pierce Baker. Under his tutelage, he wrote The Head of the Family, which was performed at the Harvard Dramatic Club in 1912. He then worked for a year as assistant stage manager at the Bijou Theatre in Boston, where his play The Man in the Manhole won a contest. [edit] CareerAbbott first appeared as an actor on Broadway in The Misleading Lady in 1913. However, his breakthrough role, the cowboy Tex in Zander the Great, did not come until 1923.[1] While acting in several plays in New York City, he began to write, with his first successful play being The Fall Guy (1925). Abbott acquired a reputation as an astute "show doctor." He frequently was called upon to supervise changes when a show was having difficulties in tryouts or previews prior to its Broadway opening. His first great hit was Broadway, written and directed in partnership with Philip Dunning, whose play Abbott "rejiggered".[2] It opened on September 16, 1926 at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 603 performances. Other successes followed, and it was a rare year that did not have an Abbott production on Broadway. He also worked in Hollywood as a writer and director while continuing with his theater work. Among those who crossed paths with Abbott early in their careers are Desi Arnaz, Gene Tierney, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, Bob Fosse, Stephen Sondheim, John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Liza Minnelli. [edit] Personal lifeAbbott married his first wife Ednah Levis in 1914. They had a daughter Judith, who became an actress and married actor Tom Ewell in 1946. Ednah died in 1930 and Abbott married Mary Sinclair in April 1946; they divorced in 1951. On 21 November 1983, five months past his 96th birthday, he married Joy Valderrama. Abbott died of a stroke in Miami Beach, four months and three weeks short of his 108th birthday. The New York Times obituary read, "Mrs. Abbott said that a week and a half before his death he was dictating revisions to the second act of Pajama Game with a revival in mind. In 1994, at a mere 106 years old, he walked down the aisle on opening night of the Damn Yankees revival and received a standing ovation. He was heard saying to his companion, 'There must be somebody important here.'"[1] [edit] HonorsIn 1965, the 54th Street Theatre was rechristened the George Abbott Theater in his honor. The building was demolished in 1970. New York's George Abbott Way, the section of West 45th Street northwest of Times Square, is also named after him. He received New York City's Handel Medallion in 1976, honorary doctorates from the Universities of Rochester and Miami, and the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award in 1982.[1] He was also inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. [edit] Work[edit] Stage
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: 1887 births | 1995 deaths | American centenarians | American stage actors | American theatre directors | American Theatre Hall of Fame inductees | American theatre managers and producers | Deaths from stroke | Harvard University alumni | Kennedy Center honorees | People from Chautauqua County, New York | Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners | United States National Medal of Arts recipients | University of Rochester alumni | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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