Abby Mann
Abby Mann (December 1, 1927 – March 25, 2008) was an American film writer and producer.[1]
Life and career
Born as Abraham Goodman in Philadelphia, he grew up in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He was best known for his work on controversial subjects and social drama. His best known work is the screenplay for Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), which was initially a television drama which aired in 1959. Stanley Kramer directed the film adaptation, for which Mann received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In his acceptance speech, he said:
"A writer worth his salt at all has an obligation not only to entertain but to comment on the world in which he lives."[2]
Mann later adapted the play for a 2001 production on Broadway, which featured Maximilian Schell from the 1961 film in a different role.[3] In the introduction to the printed script, Mann credited a conversation with Abraham Pomerantz, U.S. Chief Deputy Counsel, for giving him the initial interest in Nuremberg.[4] Mann and Kramer also collaborated on the film A Child is Waiting (1963).
Working for television, he created the television series Kojak, starring Telly Savalas. Mann was executive producer, but was credited as a writer also on many episodes.[5] His other writing credits include the screenplays for the television films The Marcus-Nelson Murders, The Atlanta Child Murders,[6] Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story,[7] and Indictment: The McMartin Trial,[8] as well as the film War and Love.[9] He also directed the 1978 NBC TV miniseries King.
He died of heart failure in Beverly Hills, California on March 25, 2008, aged 80.[10][11] He died one day after Richard Widmark, one of the stars of Judgment at Nuremberg.
His stepson is former Israeli Special Forces operative Aaron Cohen.[12]
Mann is interred in Culver City's Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.
Selected filmography
- Port of Escape (1956)
References
- ^ By RON WERTHEIMERPublished: February 23, 2002 (2002-02-23). "Ron Wertheimer, "The Sleeping Car Porter Who Won the Last Round". ''The New York Times'', February 23, 2002". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ron Weiskind and Barbara Vancheri, "Pittsburgh goes to the Oscars". ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', March 9, 2003". Post-gazette.com. 2003-03-09. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- ^ Bruce Weber, "On Evil and the Citizen, No Answers Are Easy". The New York Times, March 27, 2001.
- ^ Mann, Abby. Judgment at Nuremberg - A play. New Directions. pp. page ix.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ "'Kojak' (1973)". Internet Movie Database
- ^ Bedell, Sally (1985-02-09). "Sally Bedell Smith, "CBS Turning Cameras on its Decision-Makers". ''The New York Times'', February 9, 1985". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- ^ By JOHN J. O'CONNORPublished: September 11, 1992 (1992-09-11). "John J. O'Connor, "Corruption, Love and Murder, All From Real Life". ''The New York Times'', September 11, 1992". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ By JOHN J. O'CONNORPublished: May 19, 1995 (1995-05-19). "John J. O'Connor, "The Horrors Behind The McMartin Trial". ''The New York Times'', May 19, 1995". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Vincent Canby, "Screen: War and Love". The New York Times, September 13, 1985.[dead link]
- ^ Saperstein, Pat (2008-03-26). "Obituary". Variety. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- ^ Obituary - Los Angeles Times[dead link]
- ^ Obituary - New York Times
External links
- Abby Mann at IMDb
- 1961 Academy Award winners list
- Abby Mann at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
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