George Abbott
| George Abbott | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | George Francis Abbott June 25, 1887 Forestville, New York, United States |
| Died | January 31, 1995 (aged 107) Miami Beach, Florida, United States |
| Occupation | Playwright, producer, director, screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Edna Levis (m. 1914–1930; her death) Mary Sinclair (m. 1946–1951; divorced) Joy Valderrama (m. 1983–1995; his death) |
| Information | |
| Period | 1915–1995 |
| Debut works |
The Fall Guy (1925) Love 'Em and Leave 'Em (1926) |
| Magnum opus |
Damn Yankees (1955) Fiorello! (1959) |
| Works with |
Sheldon Harnick Richard Rodgers Jerome Weidman |
| Awards |
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director (1983) Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1960) Tony Award Best Direction (1960, 1963) Tony Award Best Musical (1955, 1956, 1960) Special Tony Award (1987) |
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 eight decades.
Abbott was born in Forestville, New York to George Burwell Abbott (May 1858 Erie County, New York – February 4, 1942 Hamburg, New York) and Hannah May McLaury (1869 – June 20, 1940 Hamburg, New York). He later moved to 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, to take a course in playwriting from George Pierce Baker. Under Baker's 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.
Abbott started acting on Broadway in 1913, debuting in The Misleading Lady. While acting in several plays in New York City, he began to write; his first successful play was 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". 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.
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