Abby Mann
American screenwriter and producer (1927–2008) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abby Mann (December 1, 1927 – March 25, 2008) was an American film writer and producer.[1]
Abby Mann | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Abraham Goodman December 1, 1927 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 25, 2008 (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, film producer |
| Spouse | Myra Maislin |
| Children | 3, including Aaron Cohen |
Life and career
Summarize
Perspective
The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Mann was born as Abraham Goodman in Philadelphia. He grew up in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [2][3]
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 that 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.[4]
Mann later adapted the play for a 2001 production on Broadway, which featured Maximilian Schell from the 1961 film in a different role.[5] 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.[6] Mann and Kramer also collaborated on the films Ship of Fools and A Child Is Waiting.
While working for television, he created the series Kojak, starring Telly Savalas. Mann was executive producer, but was also credited as a writer on many episodes.[7] His other writing credits include the screenplays for the television films The Marcus-Nelson Murders, The Atlanta Child Murders,[8] Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story,[9] and Indictment: The McMartin Trial,[10] as well as the film War and Love.[11] He also directed the 1978 NBC TV miniseries King.[12] In 1974, he signed a deal with Columbia Pictures Television to develop long-form television projects.[13]
Personal life
Mann was married to Myra Maislin. His wife had two children from a previous marriage, Adrienne Cohen Isom, and Aaron Cohen,[3] a former Israeli Duvdevan Unit Special Forces operative.[14]
Mann died of heart failure in Beverly Hills, California on March 25, 2008, aged 80.[15][16] He died one day after Richard Widmark, one of the stars of Judgment at Nuremberg. Mann is interred in Culver City's Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.[17]
Selected filmography
- Port of Escape (1956)
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
- A Child Is Waiting (1963)
- Ship of Fools (1965)
- The Detective (1968)
- The Marcus-Nelson Murders (1973)
- King (1978, also director)
- The Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
- War and Love (1985)
- Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992)
- Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
References
External links
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