Henry Ephron

Henry Ephron (May 26, 1911^[1] – September 6, 1992) was an American playwright, screenwriter and film producer who often worked with his wife, Phoebe (née Wolkind). He was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s.

Henry Ephron
Born	(1911-05-26)May 26, 1911 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	September 6, 1992(1992-09-06) (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Screenwriter, producer, director
Years active	1944–1963
Spouses	Phoebe Wolkind ​ ​ (m. 1934; died 1971)​ June Gale ​ ​ (m. 1978⁠–⁠1985)​
Children	Nora Ephron Delia Ephron Hallie Ephron Amy Ephron

Early life

Henry Ephron was born in Bronx, New York, the son of Gittle "Gussie" (née Weinstein) and Yitzhak Asher "Isaac" Ephron, a retailer.^[2][3] His parents were Jewish immigrants, his father from Grodno, now in Belarus, and his mother from Skidzyel', now in Belarus.^[4] All four of his daughters by his first wife, Phoebe: Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Hallie Ephron and Amy Ephron, also became notable writers. Coincidentally, his second wife, June (née Gilmartin; July 6, 1911 – November 13, 1996), widow of Oscar Levant, who wed Ephron in 1978, was also one of four sisters. His family is Jewish.^[5]

Ephron died in 1992 of "natural causes" at the Motion Picture Hospital in Los Angeles.^[6]

Notable works

(unless otherwise noted, films written with Phoebe Ephron):

• Three Is a Family (1944)
• Bride by Mistake (1944)
• Belles on Their Toes (1952); sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen
• What Price Glory (1952); Screenplay
• There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
• Daddy Long Legs (1955); Screenplay
• Carousel (1956); also producer
• Desk Set (1957); also producer
• Take Her, She's Mine (1961); Broadway play, later made into a film, then an unsold ABC TV comedy series with Van Johnson starring in the pilot
• Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), nominated for Oscar, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Autobiography

• We Thought We Could Do Anything (1977)

References

1. According to the California Death Records, 1940–1997
2. Garraty, J.A.; Carnes, M.C.; American Council of Learned Societies (1999). American National Biography: Dubuque-Fishbein. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195127867. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
3. Locher, F.C.; Evory, A. (1978). Contemporary Authors: A Bio-bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Fields. Vol. 73-76. Gale Research Company. ISBN 9780810300316. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
4. "Vol2Chap23". efronfamilyhistory.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
5. Glassman, Thea (September 12, 2016). "Richard Cohen and Nora Ephron: The Real-Life Harry and Sally". The Forward. The Forward Organization, Inc. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
6. "Henry Ephron, 81, Screenwriter For 'Desk Set' and Other Works". The New York Times. September 7, 1992. Retrieved March 31, 2014.

External links

• Henry Ephron at IMDb
• The Oscar Site
• New York Times biography