Irwin Allen
| Irwin Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 12, 1916 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 2, 1991 (aged 75) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Film producer, film director |
| Years active | 1950–1986 |
| Spouse(s) | Sheila Marie (Mathews) Allen (1974–91; his death) |
Irwin Allen (June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American television, documentary and film director and producer with a varied career who became known as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. His most successful productions were The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He also created several popular 1960s science fiction television series, such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, and Land of the Giants.
Irwin Allen was born in New York City on June 12, 1916. He majored in journalism and advertising at Columbia University after attending City College of New York for a year. He left college because of financial difficulties caused by the Great Depression. He moved to Hollywood in 1938, where he edited Key Magazine followed by an 11-year stint producing his own program at radio station KLAC. The success of the radio show led to him being offered his own gossip column, Hollywood Merry-Go-Round, which was syndicated to 73 newspapers. He produced his first TV program, a celebrity panel show also called Hollywood Merry-Go-Round with announcer Steve Allen, before moving into film production.
Allen became involved in film production at a time when power was beginning to shift from studios to talent agencies. He put together packages consisting of directors, actors and script, and sold them to film studios. After producing Where Danger Lives (1950) and Double Dynamite (1951) for RKO, Allen made his directorial debut with the documentary The Sea Around Us (1953).
...
Wikipedia