Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross | |
---|---|
Born | Herbert David Ross May 13, 1927 New York City, U.S. |
Died | October 9, 2001 New York City, U.S. | (aged 74)
Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery |
Years active | 1942–1995 |
Spouses |
Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor,
He is known for directing musical and comedies such as
He is also known for his work on
Early life
Ross was born on May 13, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Louis Chester Ross,[1] a postal clerk, and his wife Martha (née Grundfast). His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants.[2] When Ross was nine, his mother died and his father moved the family to Miami and opened a luncheonette.[3]
After dropping out of high school, Ross went to New York to pursue an acting career but became smitten with dance and studied dance.
Career
Theatre
Dancer
In 1942, Ross' stage debut came as "Third Witch" in a touring company of Macbeth. The next year brought his first Broadway performance credits with Something for the Boys, as a dancer. Ross was a dancer in Follow the Girls (1943–44), Laffing Room Only (1944–45), Beggar's Holiday (1946–47), and Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!.
Choreographer
By 1950, he was a choreographer with the
Back on Broadway he choreographed
Ross went to England where he choreographed the feature film
On Broadway Ross directed and choreographed Kelly (1965), and choreographed Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965-66). He did some additional staging on The Apple Tree (1966–67) directed by Mike Nichols. Ross was choreographer and director of musical numbers for Funny Girl (1968), produced by Ray Stark.[4][5]
Film
His film directorial debut came with the musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), made by MGM-British, with Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark. It was produced by Arthur P. Jacobs who had made Doctor Dolittle two years prior, and just like that film, Goodbye, Mr. Chips was a box-office disappointment. However, Ross' second feature as director, The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), was a big hit. The film was produced by Ray Stark and starred Streisand.
Ross did T.R. Baskin (1971) then Play It Again, Sam (1972), the latter produced by Jacobs and starring Woody Allen based on his play. Ross made The Last of Sheila (1973) co-written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, and Funny Lady (1975) with Stark and Streisand. Ross directed The Sunshine Boys (1975) based on a play and script by Neil Simon, starting a long collaboration between the two men; Stark produced. Ross directed The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), and The Turning Point (1977); Ross produced the latter.[5]
Ross had two big hits with Simon scripts produced by Stark, The Goodbye Girl (1977) and California Suite (1978). Ross returned to Broadway to direct Neil Simon's Chapter Two (1977–79). After doing the ballet film Nijinsky (1980)[6] he directed Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures (1980–81) on Broadway. He followed this with Pennies from Heaven (1981) and the film version of I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982). His last film with Simon was Max Dugan Returns (1983).
Later career
Ross had a huge hit with Footloose (1984). He followed this with two comedies, Protocol (1984) with Goldie Hawn and The Secret of My Success (1987) with Michael J. Fox. Less successful was Dancers (1987).[7][8][9]
Ross had one last big hit with another play adaptation, Steel Magnolias (1989). In the 1990s, he directed My Blue Heaven (1990), True Colors (1991), Undercover Blues (1993) and Boys on the Side (1995).
Personal life
In 1959, he married Nora Kaye, a ballerina,[10] with whom he produced four films.[11] In 1987, his wife Nora died of cancer.[3][12]
In September 1988, he married for the second time to Lee Radziwiłł,[13] the younger sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.[14] The marriage ended in divorce in 2001, shortly before his death.[15] In 2013, Radziwiłł described their relationship as follows:[16]
He was certainly different from anybody else I'd been involved with, and the film world sounded exciting. Well, it wasn't. I hated Hollywood, and the provincialism of the industry ... Herbert had been married to the ballerina Nora Kaye until she died, and unbeknownst to me was still obsessed by her. It was 'Nora said this, Nora did it like that, Nora liked brown and orange.'[16]
On October 9, 2001, Ross died from heart failure in New York City.
Works
Film
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | Carmen Jones | No | No | Choreographer; uncredited |
1961 | The Young Ones | No | No | Choreographer |
1963 | Summer Holiday | No | No | |
1968 | Funny Girl | No | No | |
1969 | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Yes | No | Directorial debut |
1970 | The Owl and the Pussycat | Yes | No | |
1971 | T.R. Baskin | Yes | No | |
1972 | Play It Again, Sam | Yes | No | |
1973 | The Last of Sheila | Yes | Yes | Debut (Film producer) |
1975 | The Sunshine Boys | Yes | No | |
Funny Lady | Yes | No | ||
1976 | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | Yes | Yes | |
1977 | The Turning Point | Yes | Yes | |
The Goodbye Girl | Yes | No | ||
1978 | California Suite | Yes | No | |
1980 | Nijinsky | Yes | No | |
1981 | Pennies From Heaven | Yes | Yes | |
1982 | I Ought to Be in Pictures
|
Yes | Yes | |
1983 | Max Dugan Returns | Yes | Yes | |
1984 | Footloose | Yes | No | |
Protocol | Yes | No | ||
1987 | The Secret of My Success | Yes | Yes | |
Dancers | Yes | No | ||
1989 | Steel Magnolias | Yes | No | |
1990 | My Blue Heaven | Yes | Yes | |
1991 | True Colors | Yes | Yes | |
Soapdish | No | Executive | ||
1993 | Undercover Blues | Yes | No | |
1995 | Boys on the Side | Yes | Yes | Final film |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1954 | Wonderful Town | Director | Television film; Debut |
1964-66 | The Bell Telephone Hour | Producer | 6 episodes |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1942 | Macbeth | Actor (Third Witch) | Debut (Touring) |
1943 | Something for the Boys | Dancer | Debut (Broadway) |
1944 | Laffing Room Only | Ensemble | Broadway |
1946 | Beggar's Holiday | Bartender / Dancer | Broadway |
1948 | "Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!" | Ensemble | Broadway |
1950 | American Ballet Theatre | Choreographer | |
1951 | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Debut (Broadway production) | |
1952 | Three Wishes for Jamie | Broadway | |
1954 | House of Flowers | Broadway | |
1958 | The Body Beautiful | ||
1960 | Finian's Rainbow | Broadway, revival | |
1961 | The Gay Life | Musical staging | Broadway |
1962 | I Can Get It for You Wholesale | Broadway | |
1963 | Tovarich | Choreographer | Broadway |
1964 | Anyone Can Whistle | ||
1965 | Do I Hear a Waltz? | ||
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | |||
Kelly | Director; Choreographer | ||
The Apple Tree | Addt. Musical staging | ||
1977 | Chapter Two | Director | Neil Simon |
1980 | I Ought to Be in Pictures | Neil Simon Broadway |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1964 | Tony Award |
Best Choreography | Anyone Can Whistle | Nominated | |
1977 | Academy Awards | Best Picture | The Turning Point | Nominated | |
Best Director | Nominated | ||||
1977 | Golden Globe Award |
Best Director | Won | ||
Directors Guild of America Award |
Outstanding Directing - Feature Film | Nominated | |||
Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Director | Won |
References
- ^ "Herbert Ross Biography (1927-2001)".
- ^ Janos, Leo (November 12, 1978). "That Hollywood Touch". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Lyman, Rick (October 11, 2001). "Herbert Ross, Broadway Choreographer Turned Hollywood Director, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Kisselgoff, Anna (January 6, 1994). "Review/Dance; From Perfectionism to Pastiche In the Films of Herbert Ross". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Bosworth, Patricia (November 20, 1977). "On Stage and Screen, It's All Coming Up Ross's". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (March 20, 1980). "The Screen: 'Nijinsky,' Filmed by Herbert Ross; Pointeless". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (October 25, 1987). "DANCE VIEW; Dancers': More Than Meets The Eye". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (February 3, 1995). "FILM REVIEW; Another Buddy Story, With a Twist or Two". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Gates, Anita (February 19, 1995). "TAKING THE CHILDREN; Zipping Through School, but, Boy, Is He Dumb". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Martin, John (June 26, 1943). "NORA KAYE MAKES 'SWAN LAKE' DEBUT; Her Performance High Point of Ballet Program at the Lewisohn Stadium EGLEVSKY AS THE PRINCE Markova, Massine, Laing and Tudor Dance in 'Aleko' --'Bluebeard' Also Seen". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (June 8, 1977). "Nora Kaye Recollects". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Anderson, Jack (January 5, 1988). "Nora Kaye Honored In Memorial Tribute By Artist Colleagues". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Nemy, Enid (August 12, 1999). "Anthony Stanislas Radziwill, 40, Award-Winning TV Producer". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Lee Bouvier Radziwill Weds Herbert Ross, Film Director". The New York Times. September 24, 1988. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- Lee Bouvier Radziwill (younger sister of the late former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis), and Herbert Ross were married yesterday evening at the bride's home in New York by Justice E. Leo Milonas of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, First Department. After the ceremony, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the sister of the bride, gave a dinner party for the couple at her home in New York. Rudolf Nureyev, the dancer and director of the Paris Opera Ballet, and John Taras, the associate director of American Ballet Theatre, attended the couple.
- ^ a b Haslam, Nicky (February 7, 2013). "The Real Lee Radziwill". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths ROSS, HERBERT D." The New York Times. October 12, 2001. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths ROSS, HERBERT". The New York Times. October 16, 2001. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "Memorial for Herbert Ross". The New York Times. December 14, 2001. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ NNDB
External links
- Herbert Ross at Find a Grave
- Herbert Ross at the Internet Broadway Database
- Herbert Ross at IMDb