Lewis M. Allen

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Lewis Maitland Allen Jr. (born June 27, 1922 in Winchester , Virginia , † December 8, 2003 in New York City ) was an American film and theater producer. He has received three Tony Awards .

Live and act

Lewis Allen first grew up on a farm in Clifton near Berryville , Virginia . His father was a wealthy doctor and ran horse breeding there. He also had an obstetrics practice in Winchester. The family later moved there and Allen attended local schools. He then studied at the University of Virginia until 1946 . During World War II , he served in the American Field Service (AFS). He drove ambulances in Africa, Italy, France and Germany and helped with the clean-up work after the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp . At AFS he met the theater producer Robert Whitehead (1916-2002) know, who was in the same unit. They became friends and later worked together regularly.

After the war, Whitehead gave Allen a job in his New York office. Allen soon gained a foothold on Broadway, initially from 1952 as an assistant, among others to director Harold Clurman (1901–1980). Around 1961 he founded the production company Allen-Hodgdon, Inc. with Dana Hodgdon , then his own company Lewis Allen Productions . His most successful Broadway production was the musical Annie , which ran from 1977 to 1983 and was performed over 2000 times. He had further successes with Master Class and I'm Not Rappaport . Allen is considered a producer of high quality theater plays who put his artistic preferences before commercial success.

In the 1960s, Allen began to work as a film producer, often adapting plays (e.g. The Connection , The Balcony ). His best-known films include the science fiction film Fahrenheit 451 and two film adaptations of the novel Lord of the Flies .

Allen was married to writer and producer Jay Presson Allen from 1955 until his death , whom he met through Whitehead. They worked together on several Broadway plays. The marriage produced a daughter.

Allen died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 81 .

Awards

  • 1964: Nomination for Tony Award in the category Best Producer (Dramatic) ( The Ballad of the Sad Cafe )
  • 1964: Nomination for Tony Award in the category Best Play ( The Ballad of the Sad Cafe )
  • 1965: Nomination for Tony Award in the category Best Producer of a Play ( Slow Dance on the Killing Ground )
  • 1965: Nomination for Tony Award in the category Best Producer of a Musical ( Half a Sixpence )
  • 1965: Nomination for Tony Award in the category Best Musical ( Half a Sixpence )
  • 1977: Tony Award in the category Best Musical ( Annie )
  • 1986: Tony Award for Best Play ( I'm Not Rappaport )
  • 1986: Nomination for Tony Award, in the category Best Revival (Play or Musical) ( The Iceman Cometh )
  • 1986: Drama Desk Award in the category Outstanding Play ( A Lie of the Mind )
  • 1996: Tony Award for Best Play ( Master Class )
  • 1996: Drama Desk Award in the category Outstanding Play ( Master Class )

Theater productions (selection)

  • 1961: Big Fish, Little Fish
  • 1964: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
  • 1964: Slow Dance on the Killing Ground
  • 1965: Half a Sixpence
  • 1977-1983: Annie
  • 1983–1985: My One And Only
  • 1985–1988 / 2002: I'm Not Rappaport
  • 1989-1991: A Few Good Men
  • 1989-1990: Tru
  • 1991: The Big Love
  • 1995–1997: Master Class

Filmography

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ notable alumni ( Memento from February 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) virginia.edu, accessed on January 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ Lewis M. Allen Jr., Broadway Producer ( October 18, 2014 memento on the Internet Archive ) fairfaxtimes.com, accessed January 27, 2013.
  3. ↑ a b c Jason Zinoman : Lewis M. Allen, 81, Tony-Winning Producer. In: The New York Times December 10, 2003. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ Jay Presson Allen ( July 27, 2014 memento on the Internet Archive ) filmdirectorssite.com, accessed January 27, 2013.
personal data
SURNAME Allen, Lewis M.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Allen, Lewis Maitland Jr. (maiden name); Allen, Lewis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film and theater producer
DATE OF BIRTH June 27, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Winchester , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH December 8, 2003
Place of death New York City