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{{short description|American film director}}
'''Claudia Weill''' is an American film director best known for her film ''[[Girlfriends]]'' (1978), starring [[Melanie Mayron]], Christopher Guest, Bob Balaban and Eli Wallach], which she made independently, then sold to Warner Bros after winning multiple screenings and several awards at the Cannes, Filmex and Sundance (then the USA Fim Festival. ''[[It's My Turn (film)|It's My Turn]]'' (1980), starring [[Jill Clayburgh]], [[Michael Douglas]], and [[Charles Grodin]] was her second feature made by Columbia Pictures and winning her the Donatello, or International Oscar for best new director.
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
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Weills' earlier film work after graduating Harvard in 1969 was 30 films for Sesame Street, freelancing as a camerawoman and numerous documentaries- notably [[The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir]], a doc about the first delegation to China after Nixon in 1973, a cross section of US women headed by Shirley Maclaine, nominated for an Academy Award and released theatrically and on PBS.
{{Infobox person
After moving to LA to start a family in 1984, Weill began directing Television, episodes of ''[Thirty Something", "My So-Called Life]]'', "Once and Again", ''Chicago Hope'', and numerous pilots, cable and tv movies, notably JOHNNY BULL with Jason Robards, Kathy Bates, and Colleen Dewhurst, and FACE OF A STRANGER written by Marsha Norman with Tyne Daly, Gena Rowlands, (Emmy Best Actress).
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| name = Claudia Weill
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Originally a theatre director of mostly new work at Williamstown, The O’Neill, Sundance, ACT, Empty Space and in New York at MTC, the Public, and Circle Rep, she won the Drama Desk’s Best Director Award for the premiere of Donald Margulies’ FOUND A PEANUT w/Bob Joy and Evan Handler, produced by Joe Papp at the Public Theatre in 1984.
| image = Claudia Weill for Make it Fair.jpg
Returning to theatre in the last few years, she directed the West Coast Premiere of Pulitzer Prize winner, DOUBT (Linda Hunt) at the Pasadena Playhouse, MEMORY HOUSE and END DAYS and numerous workshops- MODERN ORTHODOX, ADAM BAUM AND THE JEW MOVIE by Daniel Goldfarb, and The PARENTS’ EVENING by Bash Doran at the Vineyard Playhouse, HUCK AND HOLDEN by Rajiv Joseph at the Black Dahlia, LA BELLA FAMIGLIA at ACT SF, ACT A LADY and SWEET MERCY at Antaeus, and many others.
| caption = Weill in 2015
Claudia has guest taught directing for film, television and/or theatre at Harvard, Columbia, NYU and Juilliard, Cal Arts and is currently a Professor at USC in the School of Cinema. She mentors playwrights and directors and is researching a documentary about the art and craft of directing.
| birth_date = {{birth year and age |1947}}
She was the 3rd woman admitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1981, (after Dorothy Arzner and ida Lupino).
| birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.
Weill's distant cousin was the composer [[Kurt Weill]], famous for such works as ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'', which contained the popular song "[[Mack the Knife]]".{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}}
| alma_mater = [[Harvard University]]
| occupation = Film, television and theatre director, film instructor
|spouse = Walter S. Teller
|children = 2
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}}


'''Claudia Weill''' is an American film director best known for her film ''[[Girlfriends (1978 film)|Girlfriends]]'' (1978), starring [[Melanie Mayron]], [[Christopher Guest]], [[Bob Balaban]] and [[Eli Wallach]], made independently and sold to Warner Brothers after multiple awards at Cannes, Filmex and Sundance. ''Girlfriends'' would be one of 82 films made by a female director to compete at Cannes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Myers |first1=Victoria |title=Claudia Weill on Directing Theatre, Film, and Television |url=https://www.theintervalny.com/interviews/2018/05/claudia-weill-on-directing-theatre-film-and-television/ |website=The Interval |access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref> In 2019, ''Girlfriends'' was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="Chow">{{cite magazine |last=Chow |first=Andrew R. |date=December 11, 2019 |title=See the 25 New Additions to the National Film Registry, From Purple Rain to Clerks |url=https://time.com/5747503/national-film-registry-2019-additions/ |magazine=Time |location=New York, NY |access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref>
S

''[[It's My Turn (film)|It's My Turn]]'' (1980 for Columbia Pictures)—with [[Jill Clayburgh]], [[Michael Douglas]], and [[Charles Grodin]]—won her the Donatello, or International Oscar for best new director.

⚫
Earlier work includes 30 films for ''[[Sesame Street]]'', freelancing as a camerawoman, and numerous documentaries, notably ''[[The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir]]'', a documentary about the first women's delegation to China in 1973, headed by [[Shirley MacLaine]], nominated for an Academy Award and released theatrically and on PBS.

== Early life and education==
In 1947, Weill was born in New York City. Weill's family was Jewish.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IB3mBsgfIHQC&q=Claudia+Weill&pg=PA465 |title=Encyclopedia of American Jewish History, Volume 1 |isbn=9781851096381 |access-date=February 23, 2020 |last=Norwood |first=Stephen Harlan |year=2008}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kJHa7KqnQ4C&q=Claudia+Weill+filmmaker+born+1947&pg=PA368 |title=Women Film Directors: An International Bio-critical Dictionary |isbn=9780313289729 |access-date=February 23, 2020 |last=Foster |first=Gwendolyn Audrey |year=1995}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ica.art/bulletin/about-girlfriends-jemma-desai-conversation-claudia-weill ICA: "About Girlfriends: Jemma Desai in conversation with Claudia Weill" by Jemma Desai] 17 Apr 2014</ref> In 1969, Weill graduated from Harvard University.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dooley |first=Megan |title=From Big Screen to Small Stage, Claudia Weill Keeps it Real |url=https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2009/08/13/big-screen-small-stage-claudia-weill-keeps-it-real |access-date=1 February 2018 |publisher=The Vineyard Gazette |date=August 14, 2009}}</ref>

== Career ==
Weill moved to Los Angeles in 1986. Weill began directing TV episodes of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[Thirtysomething (TV series)|Thirtysomething]]'', ''[[My So-Called Life]]'', ''[[Once and Again]]'', ''[[Chicago Hope]]'', and numerous pilots. More recently, she directed an episode of ''[[Girls (TV series)|Girls]]'' for HBO.

⚫
As a theater director (Williamstown, The O’Neill, Sundance, ACT, Empty Space and in New York at MTC, the Public, and Circle Rep), she won the Drama Desk's Best Director Award for the premiere of Donald Margulies’ ''Found a Peanut'' produced by Joe Papp at the [[Public Theater]] in 1984.

She directed ''The Belle of Belfast'' by Nate Rufus Edelman at EST and the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York, ''Twelfth Night'' for Antaeus, the West Coast Premiere of Pulitzer Prize winner ''Doubt'' by [[John Patrick Shanley]] (with Linda Hunt) at the Pasadena Playhouse, ''Memory House'', ''End Days'', ''Tape'', numerous workshops of ''Modern Orthodox'', ''Adam Baum and the Jew Movie'' (Goldfarb), ''The Parents' Evening'' by [[Bathsheba Doran]] at the Vineyard Playhouse, and ''Huck and Holden'' by Rajiv Joseph at the Black Dahlia, among others.

In 1979, the [[Supersisters]] trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Weill's name and picture.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wulf |first=Steve |url=http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/12535055/original-roster |title=Supersisters: Original Roster |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=2015-03-23 |access-date=2015-06-04}}</ref>

After selling ''Girlfriends'' to [[Warner Brothers]], [[Columbia Pictures]] hired Weill to direct 1980's film ''[[It's My Turn (film)|It's My Turn]]''. Weill was the female boss of an all male crew.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Godfrey |first1=Alex |title=Claudia Weill on 1970s Hollywood Sleaze |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/20/claudia-weill-1970s-hollywood-sleaze-woman-direct-lena-dunham-quentin-tarantino |website=The Guardian |access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref> It was during this time that Weill experienced sexism and sexual harassment from producer [[Ray Stark]]. He also interfered with her vision of the film. Due to this she directed no more feature films.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/02/promising-young-women-1970s-women-directors/amp |date=March 1, 2021 |magazine=Vanity Fair |title=Promising Young Women |last=Press |first=Joy |access-date=June 5, 2022}}</ref>

Weill has taught directing for film, television and/or theater, as well as Directing for Writers<ref name="POA">{{cite web |title=Claudia Weill |url=https://playingonair.org/claudia-weill#gsc.tab=0 |website=Playing on Air |date=n.d. |access-date=March 7, 2024}}</ref> at Harvard, Juilliard, Cal Arts, USC Graduate School of Cinema Studies, Columbia, The New School and Sarah Lawrence College. She mentors playwrights and directors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/faculty/weill-claudia.html |title=Claudia Weill |website=sarahlawrence.edu |access-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref>

She has served as a juror with [[Elvis Mitchell]] for the [[Nashville Film Festival]] and directed several of the ''Game Changers'' films for the [[Directors Guild of America]] 75th Anniversary.<ref name="POA" /> Weill serves on the Directors' Executive Committee for the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]. She is the third woman to be admitted into the committee as a director in 1980<ref>{{cite web |title=Claudia Weill |url=https://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/claudia-weill |website=Ensemble Studio Theatre |access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref> after [[Dorothy Arzner]] and [[Ida Lupino]].

== Filmography ==
=== Films ===
This is a partial list of films credited as director:
* 1970 ''This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant Graham''
* 1975 ''[[The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir]]''
* 1978 ''[[Girlfriends (1978 film)|Girlfriends]]''
* 1980 ''[[It's My Turn (film)|It's My Turn]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/interview-with-claudia-weill |title=Interview with Claudia Weill |website=rogerebert.com |date=October 20, 1980 |access-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref>
* 1986 ''Johnny Bull'' (TV movie)
* 1988 ''Giving Up the Ghost'' (TV movie)
* 1991 ''Face of a Stranger'' (TV movie)
* 1992 ''A Child Lost Forever'' (TV movie)
* 1996 ''Critical Choices'' (TV movie)
* 2013 ''[[He's Way More Famous Than You]]'' as herself

== Personal life ==
In 1985, Weill married Walter S. Teller. They have two sons, Sam Teller and Eli Teller.

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0918041}}
* {{IMDb name|0918041}}


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[[Category:American film directors]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:Female film directors]]
[[Category:American women film directors]]
[[Category:Female television directors]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American women television directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:1947 births]]

[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]

[[Category:20th-century American women]]
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[[Category:21st-century American women]]
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[[Category:American film directors]]
[[Category:Jewish film people]]
[[Category:Jewish American screenwriters]]

Latest revision as of 18:12, 20 April 2024

Claudia Weill
Weill in 2015
Born1947 (age 76–77)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University
Occupation(s)Film, television and theatre director, film instructor
SpouseWalter S. Teller
Children2

Claudia Weill is an American film director best known for her film Girlfriends (1978), starring Melanie Mayron, Christopher Guest, Bob Balaban and Eli Wallach, made independently and sold to Warner Brothers after multiple awards at Cannes, Filmex and Sundance. Girlfriends would be one of 82 films made by a female director to compete at Cannes.[1] In 2019, Girlfriends was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2]

It's My Turn (1980 for Columbia Pictures)—with Jill Clayburgh, Michael Douglas, and Charles Grodin—won her the Donatello, or International Oscar for best new director.

Earlier work includes 30 films for Sesame Street, freelancing as a camerawoman, and numerous documentaries, notably The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir, a documentary about the first women's delegation to China in 1973, headed by Shirley MacLaine, nominated for an Academy Award and released theatrically and on PBS.

Early life and education[edit]

In 1947, Weill was born in New York City. Weill's family was Jewish.[3] [4][5] In 1969, Weill graduated from Harvard University.[6]

Career[edit]

Weill moved to Los Angeles in 1986. Weill began directing TV episodes of The Twilight Zone, Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Once and Again, Chicago Hope, and numerous pilots. More recently, she directed an episode of Girls for HBO.

As a theater director (Williamstown, The O’Neill, Sundance, ACT, Empty Space and in New York at MTC, the Public, and Circle Rep), she won the Drama Desk's Best Director Award for the premiere of Donald Margulies’ Found a Peanut produced by Joe Papp at the Public Theater in 1984.

She directed The Belle of Belfast by Nate Rufus Edelman at EST and the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York, Twelfth Night for Antaeus, the West Coast Premiere of Pulitzer Prize winner Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (with Linda Hunt) at the Pasadena Playhouse, Memory House, End Days, Tape, numerous workshops of Modern Orthodox, Adam Baum and the Jew Movie (Goldfarb), The Parents' Evening by Bathsheba Doran at the Vineyard Playhouse, and Huck and Holden by Rajiv Joseph at the Black Dahlia, among others.

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Weill's name and picture.[7]

After selling Girlfriends to Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures hired Weill to direct 1980's film It's My Turn. Weill was the female boss of an all male crew.[8] It was during this time that Weill experienced sexism and sexual harassment from producer Ray Stark. He also interfered with her vision of the film. Due to this she directed no more feature films.[9]

Weill has taught directing for film, television and/or theater, as well as Directing for Writers[10] at Harvard, Juilliard, Cal Arts, USC Graduate School of Cinema Studies, Columbia, The New School and Sarah Lawrence College. She mentors playwrights and directors.[11]

She has served as a juror with Elvis Mitchell for the Nashville Film Festival and directed several of the Game Changers films for the Directors Guild of America 75th Anniversary.[10] Weill serves on the Directors' Executive Committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is the third woman to be admitted into the committee as a director in 1980[12] after Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino.

Filmography[edit]

Films[edit]

This is a partial list of films credited as director:

Personal life[edit]

In 1985, Weill married Walter S. Teller. They have two sons, Sam Teller and Eli Teller.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Myers, Victoria. "Claudia Weill on Directing Theatre, Film, and Television". The Interval. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Chow, Andrew R. (December 11, 2019). "See the 25 New Additions to the National Film Registry, From Purple Rain to Clerks". Time. New York, NY. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  3. ^ Norwood, Stephen Harlan (2008). Encyclopedia of American Jewish History, Volume 1. ISBN 9781851096381. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey (1995). Women Film Directors: An International Bio-critical Dictionary. ISBN 9780313289729. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  5. ^ ICA: "About Girlfriends: Jemma Desai in conversation with Claudia Weill" by Jemma Desai 17 Apr 2014
  6. ^ Dooley, Megan (August 14, 2009). "From Big Screen to Small Stage, Claudia Weill Keeps it Real". The Vineyard Gazette. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  7. ^ Wulf, Steve (March 23, 2015). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ Godfrey, Alex. "Claudia Weill on 1970s Hollywood Sleaze". The Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Press, Joy (March 1, 2021). "Promising Young Women". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Claudia Weill". Playing on Air. n.d. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "Claudia Weill". sarahlawrence.edu. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  12. ^ "Claudia Weill". Ensemble Studio Theatre. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "Interview with Claudia Weill". rogerebert.com. October 20, 1980. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claudia_Weill&oldid=1219922521"