Mark Medoff

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Mark Medoff (born March 18, 1940 in Mount Carmel , Illinois ; died April 23, 2019 in Las Cruces , New Mexico ) was an American playwright , screenwriter , film and theater director, actor, and professor. His play Children of a Lesser God won a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award . The film script, filmed as God's Forgotten Children (1986), was nominated for an Oscar .

Life

Medoff grew up in Miami Beach as the son of Jewish parents. In high school he played basketball and was a Miami Beach Hi-Tides player. He studied at the University of Miami and Stanford University . After graduation, he began teaching at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. He was later appointed professor of English literature, art and theater. In 1981 he also received an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University .

In 1967 he worked as a teacher at the Capitol Radio Engineering Institute in Washington, DC During this time his first play The Wager appeared . His first performed piece was When You Comin 'Back, Red Ryder? which earned him both a Drama Desk Award and an Obie Award .

His best-known work was the play God Forgotten Children , published in 1979 , for which he received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. The play, about a deaf student and her relationship with her teacher, was performed 887 times on Broadway . In 1986 he adapted his script for the film version; in the main roles are William Hurt and Marlee Matlin to see. He received an Oscar nomination for the script. With this film, Marlee Matlin became the first deaf actress to receive an Oscar. Medoff had advocated the actress beforehand and insisted that a deaf actress play the role. In 1981, Medoff had been awarded an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University , a university specially designed for deaf and hard of hearing students.

In his long career he wrote 30 plays and took part in 19 films. He died of cancer on April 28, 2019 at the age of 79.

Plays

  • The Wager , 1966
  • The Odyssey of Jeremy Jack , 1973
  • The Kramer , 1973
  • When you comin 'back, Red Ryder? (When are you coming again, Red Rider?), 1974
  • The Halloween Bandit , 1978
  • The Conversion of Aaron Weiss , 1978
  • Firekeeper , 1978
  • The Last Chance Saloon , 1979
  • The Froegle Dictum , 1980
  • Children of a Lesser God , 1980
  • The Majestic Kid , 1981
  • The Hands of Its Enemy , 1984
  • Kringle's Window , 1985
  • The Heart Outright , 1986
  • The Homage That Follows , 1995
  • Showdown on Rio Road , 1998
  • Crunch Time , 1998
  • Gila , 1996
  • Gunfighter - A Gulf War Chronicle , 1997
  • A Christmas Carousel , 1997
  • Tommy J and Sally, 2000
  • The Same Life Over, 2002
  • Prymate , 2003
  • The Dramaturgy of Mark Medoff, 2004
  • Marilee and Baby Lamb: Assassination of an American Goddess, 2015

Filmography

  • 1978: Black Tiger
  • 1979: When You Comin 'Back, Red Ryder?
  • 1986: Off Beat - Let the cops dance (Off Beat)
  • 1986: Apology - Deadly Confession (Apology) (TV movie)
  • 1986: Children of a Lesser God (Children of a Lesser God)
  • 1988: Clara's Heart (Clara's Heart)
  • 1992: City of Joy
  • 1995: Homage
  • 1997: Santa Fe
  • 2006: 100MPG (short film, also direction and production)
  • 2010: Refuge (TV film, also director)
  • 2016: The Heart Outright (also producer)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mark Medoff. eNotes, accessed January 18, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c Playwright Mark Medoff Reflects on Life as Play Opens in Phoenix. Arizona Jewish Life, December 1, 2014, accessed January 19, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Randall Shinn: Mark Medoff's bio. Retrieved January 19, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b Mark Medoff in the Internet Broadway Database . Retrieved January 19, 2020
  5. ↑ Mark Medoff. Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed January 19, 2020 .
  6. ↑ a b Michael Carlson: Mark Medoff obituary. The Guardian , May 5, 2019; accessed January 19, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Algernon D'Ammassa: Dramatist and educator Mark Medoff, author of 'Children of a Lesser God,' dies at 79th Las Cruces, April 24, 2019, accessed January 19, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Medoff, Mark
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American playwright, screenwriter, film and theater director, actor, and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH March 18, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Mount Carmel , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 2019
Place of death Las Cruces , New Mexico