Peter Stone (screenwriter)

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Peter Hess Stone (born February 27, 1930 in Los Angeles , California , † April 26, 2003 in New York City , New York ) was an American screenwriter .

Life

Peter Stone was born in Los Angeles to film producer and screenwriter John Stone . He finished his acting studies at Yale University in 1953 with a master's degree . He first worked as a journalist and news anchor for CBS Radio and CBS Television . From 1956 he worked as a screenwriter. In 1961 he wrote two episodes of the television series Asphaltdschungel and three episodes of Preston & Preston ; for one of these episodes he received an Emmy in 1962 . He also wrote the book for the Broadway production Kean , which performed from November 1961 to January 1962 and was critically acclaimed. However, the piece did not enjoy any major success with the audience.

In 1963 he wrote his first feature film script; Charade was filmed by Stanley Donen with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn and became a huge success. For his book he received the Edgar Allan Poe Award and was nominated for the WGA Award . For his second screenplay, the comedy The Big Wolf Calling by Ralph Nelson with Cary Grant and Leslie Caron in the leading roles, he received an Oscar in 1965 . He wrote other books in the mid-1960s for the thrillers The 27th Floor and Arabesque , each with Gregory Peck in the leading role. In the meantime he had written another Broadway production, Skyscraper , which was performed from 1965 to 1966. Although he was nominated for a Tony Award for his book , he was again not a great commercial success. It was only with his third production in 1776 that he achieved theatrical success, which also brought him his first Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award.

From 1969 he concentrated on adaptations . He edited the musical Sweet Charity , which was itself an adaptation of Fellini's The Nights of Cabiria , into a television production with Shirley MacLaine in the lead role. His fourth Broadway musical was an adaptation of Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot , the musical Woman of the Year was based on The Woman You Talk about and the screenplay for The Gourmet Orgy was based on a novel.

In the 1980s and 1990s he wrote mainly for Broadway and only occasionally for film and television. One of his last films was Swamp of Crime, with Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne in the lead roles. 2002 was created with The Truth About Charlie , a remake of Charade , but he chose for his screenplay participation a pseudonym . Stone was nominated six times for the Tony Award and received it three times, including for the musical Titanic .

Stone was Chairman of the Dramatists Guild of America from 1981 to 1999 . He had been married since 1961 and the couple had no children.

Filmography (selection)

Broadway

  • 1961-1962: Kean
  • 1965-1966: Skyscraper
  • 1969-1972: 1776
  • 1970-1971: Two By Two
  • 1972-1973: Sugar
  • 1973: Full Circle
  • 1981-1983: Woman of the Year
  • 1983–1985: My One And Only
  • 1991-1993: The Will Rogers Follies
  • 1997-1999: Titanic
  • 1997-1998: 1776
  • 1999-2001: Annie Get Your Gun
  • 2007-2008: Curtains

Awards

  • 1962: Emmy for Preston & Preston
  • 1964: WGA Award nomination for Charade
  • 1964: Edgar Allan Poe Award for Charade
  • 1965: WGA Award nomination for The Big Wolf Calls
  • 1965: Oscar for The Big Wolf is calling
  • 1966: Tony Award nomination for Skyscraper
  • 1969: Tony Award for 1776
  • 1969: Drama Desk Award for 1776
  • 1975: WGA Award nomination for Stop the Death Ride of Subway 123
  • 1977: Edgar Allan Poe Awards nomination for One of My Wives Is Missing
  • 1979: WGA Award nomination for Die Schlemmer-Orgie
  • 1981: Tony Award for Woman of the Year
  • 1983: Tony Award nomination for My One And Only
  • 1991: Tony Award nomination for The Will Rogers Follies
  • 1997: Tony Award for Titanic
  • 2007: Tony Award nomination for Curtains
  • 2007: Drama Desk Award for Curtains

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Stone, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Joshua, Peter (pseudonym); Marton, Pierre (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH February 27, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles , California , United States
DATE OF DEATH April 26, 2003
Place of death New York City , New York , United States