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![]() David Merrick was born on November 27, 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). He was previously married to Natalie Lloyd, Etan Aronson, Jeanne Gibson, Karen Prunczik and Leonore Beck. He died on April 25, 2000 in London, England, UK.
Bio:
David Merrick was born on November 27, 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). He was previously married to Natalie Lloyd, Etan Aronson, Jeanne Gibson, Karen Prunczik and Leonore Beck. He died on April 25, 2000 in London, England, UK.
Tivia:
He suffered a stroke which impaired his speech and he had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. (1983)He won six Tony awards -- for 'Becket', 'Luther', 'Hello, Dolly!,' 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,' 'Travesties' , and '42nd Street' and he received two honorary Tonys.He established the David Merrick Arts Foundation in 1998 to support the development of American musicals and the people who create them.He graduated from Washington University before studying law. In 1940 he left his legal career behind in St. Louis to pursue a dream of producing Broadway shows, but it took him 14 years to make it and that was with ``Fanny.''One of the most colorful, dynamic producers in Broadway history, a man whose talent for finding hit properties was matched only by his boldness, promotional skill, and not inconsiderable ego. Nevertheless, his instincts about entertainment usually turned out to be right, and a 40+ year string of hit shows was the result. Some of the best-known Merrick productions include "Hello, Dolly!," "Fanny," "Oliver!," "Becket," "Destry Rides Again," "Rosenkrantz and Guildernstern Are Dead," "Child's Play" (stage and film versions), and "42nd Street."In this book "Making Movies", director Sidney Lumet described him as a "bully". Artist Al Hirschfeld drew a picture of him in a Santa Claus suit. Merrick bought the picture and had the image printed on holiday cards. Hirschfeld later said he probably did not understand the picture was supposed to be unflattering.In 1967, in what was considered a major gamble at the time, Merrick recast his hit production, "Hello, Dolly!," with an all-black cast led by Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. It revived what had been flagging interest in the show, which went on to run another four years.Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 407-409. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.Won a 1961 Special Tony Award (New York City) in recognition of a fabulous production record over the last seven years.Won a 1968 Special Tony Award (New York City).In 1965, Merrick received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.He married Etan Aronson (born February 1944), a Swedish model and former flight attendant, twice. They first married in September 1969, and divorced in Mexico three weeks later, but the divorce was not finalized in America until 1976.In 2001, Merrick was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.An unauthorized biography by Howard Kissel is titled David Merrick: The Abominable Showman.Merrick was known for his love of publicity stunts. In 1949, his comedy Clutterbuck was running out of steam, but along with discount tickets, he paged hotel bars and restaurants around Manhattan during cocktail hour for a "fictive Mr. Clutterbuck" as a way of generating name recognition for his production, and it helped his show keep alive for another few months. |
| Name: |
David Merrick |
Type: |
Additional Crew,Producer,Actor (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
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Business scope: |
Additional Crew,Producer,Actor |
| Products for sale: |
Additional Crew,Producer,Actor |
| Last update: |
2024-07-02 01:30:10 |
| Biography: |
David Merrick was born on November 27, 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). He was previously married to Natalie Lloyd, Etan Aronson, Jea |
| Trivia: |
He suffered a stroke which impaired his speech and he had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. (1983)He won six Tony awards -- for 'Becket', 'Luther', 'Hello, Dolly!,' 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,' 'Travesties' , and '42nd Street' and he received two honorary Tonys.He established the David Merrick Arts Foundation in 1998 to support the development of American musicals and the people who create them.He graduated from Washington University before studying law. In 1940 he left his legal career behind in St. Louis to pursue a dream of producing Broadway shows, but it took him 14 years to make it and that was with ``Fanny.''One of the most colorful, dynamic producers in Broadway history, a man whose talent for finding hit properties was matched only by his boldness, promotional skill, and not inconsiderable ego. Nevertheless, his instincts about entertainment usually turned out to be right, and a 40+ year string of hit shows was the result. Some of the best-known Merrick productions include "Hello, Dolly!," "Fanny," "Oliver!," "Becket," "Destry Rides Again," "Rosenkrantz and Guildernstern Are Dead," "Child's Play" (stage and film versions), and "42nd Street."In this book "Making Movies", director Sidney Lumet described him as a "bully". Artist Al Hirschfeld drew a picture of him in a Santa Claus suit. Merrick bought the picture and had the image printed on holiday cards. Hirschfeld later said he probably did not understand the picture was supposed to be unflattering.In 1967, in what was considered a major gamble at the time, Merrick recast his hit production, "Hello, Dolly!," with an all-black cast led by Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. It revived what had been flagging interest in the show, which went on to run another four years.Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 407-409. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.Won a 1961 Special Tony Award (New York City) in recognition of a fabulous production record over the last seven years.Won a 1968 Special Tony Award (New York City).In 1965, Merrick received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.He married Etan Aronson (born February 1944), a Swedish model and former flight attendant, twice. They first married in September 1969, and divorced in Mexico three weeks later, but the divorce was not finalized in America until 1976.In 2001, Merrick was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.An unauthorized biography by Howard Kissel is titled David Merrick: The Abominable Showman.Merrick was known for his love of publicity stunts. In 1949, his comedy Clutterbuck was running out of steam, but along with discount tickets, he paged hotel bars and restaurants around Manhattan during cocktail hour for a "fictive Mr. Clutterbuck" as a way of generating name recognition for his production, and it helped his show keep alive for another few months. |
| Quotes: |
There's a horse's ass for every light on Broadway.
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I'll tell you what it's like to be No. 1. I compare it to climbing Mount Everest. It's very difficult. Lives are lost along the way. You struggle and struggle and finally you get up there. And guess what there is once you get up there? Snow and ice.
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My attitude is like that of the alley cat - the alley cat that's not quite trustful, that's always watching for someone to leap on him. |
| Job title: |
Additional Crew,Producer,Actor |
| Others works: |
Active on Broadway from 1942-96 in the following productions:
Last project: investing in the musical "State Fair" (1996), which was produced by others.
Produced Broadway play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", for the Royal Shakespea |
| Spouse: |
Natalie Lloyd (November 1999 - April 25, 2000) (his death)Etan Aronson (1969 - 1999) (divorced)Jeanne Gibson (1963 - ?) (divorced)Karen Prunczik (divorced)Leonore Beck (divorced) |
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