Jerry Zaks

Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing The House of Blue Leaves (1986), Lend Me a Tenor (1989), and Six Degrees of Separation (1991) and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Guys and Dolls (1992).

Jerry Zaks
Born	(1946-09-07) September 7, 1946 (age 78) Stuttgart, Germany
Occupation(s)	Theatre, film director
Spouse	Jill Rose (2 children)

Early life

Zaks was born in Stuttgart, Germany, the son of Holocaust survivors Lily (Gliksman) and Sy Zaks, a butcher.^[1] His family immigrated to the United States in 1948, finally settling in Paterson, New Jersey, where he graduated from Eastside High School in 1963.^[2][3] He graduated from Dartmouth College and received a Master of Fine Arts from Smith College.^[4]

Career

Stage

He made his Broadway acting debut in the original production of Grease as "Kenickie" and appeared in Tintypes in 1980. He made his directing debut in 1981 with the off-Broadway production of Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy, which co-starred Sigourney Weaver.^[5] He has directed many Broadway productions, both musicals and dramas.

He has also directed many Off-Broadway productions, several at Playwrights Horizons and the Public Theater. He directed the City Center Encores! productions of Girl Crazy (November 2009),^[6] Stairway to Paradise (May 2007),^[7] and Bye Bye Birdie (May 2004).^[8]

He was the director of the new musical The 101 Dalmatians Musical, which toured the United States from October 2009 through April 2010.^[9] Zaks was named "creative consultant" for the new musical The Addams Family, which opened on Broadway in April 2010.^[10]

He directed the Broadway production of Sister Act, which opened in Spring 2011.^[11]

Lincoln Center

Zaks served as Resident Director at Lincoln Center from 1986 to 1990 and is a founding member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre.^[12]

Television and film

As an actor, Zaks' screen credits include Outrageous Fortune, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Husbands and Wives. On television he has appeared in M*A*S*H and The Edge of Night and directed episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Hope and Faith, and Two and a Half Men, among others. He also directed the feature films Marvin's Room and Who Do You Love?^[13] Marvin's Room won the Golden St. George at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival.^[14]

Honors

Zaks received the George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater in 1994 and an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Dartmouth College in 1999. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2013.^[15]

Personal life

Zaks married Jill Rose, an actress, on January 14, 1979; they have two children, Emma and Hannah Zaks.^[1]

Filmography

Film

Director

• Marvin's Room^[16] (1996)
• Who Do You Love? (2008)

Actor

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
1987	Outrageous Fortune	Tobacco Clerk	[17]
1989	Crimes and Misdemeanors	Man on Campus
1992	Husbands and Wives	Dinner Party Guest	[18]

Television

Director^[17]

Year	Title	Notes
1996	O'Henry's Christmas	Segment "The Last Leaf"
2000	The Man Who Came to Dinner	TV movie
2001	Kristin	2 episodes
2001–2004	Everybody Loves Raymond	21 episodes
2002	Bram and Alice	7 episodes
2002–2003	Frasier	4 episodes
2004	All About the Andersons	2 episodes
	Married to the Kellys	Episode "Double Dating"
	Hope and Faith	2 episodes
2006–2007	Two and a Half Men	3 episodes

Actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1973	The New Temperatures Rising Show		Episode "The Misguided Appendectomy"
	M*A*S*H	Cpl. Phil Walker	Episode "L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel)"
1980	Attica	Lenny Becker	TV movie
1981	The Gentleman Bandit	Carl Schnee
1983–1984	The Edge of Night	Louis Van Dine	24 episodes
2000	The Beat		Episode "Can I Get a Witness?"

Theatre

Director

Year	Title	Venue	Ref.
1986	The House of Blue Leaves	Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway	[19]
	The Front Page		[20]
1987	Anything Goes		[21]
1989	Lend Me a Tenor	Royale Theatre, Broadway	[22]
1990	Six Degrees of Separation	Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway	[23]
1992	Guys and Dolls	Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway	[24]
1993	Face Value	Cort Theatre, Broadway	[25]
	Laughter on the 23rd Floor	Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway	[26]
1995	Smokey Joe's Cafe	Virginia Theatre, Broadway	[27]
1996	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum	St. James Theatre, Broadway	[28]
1999	The Civil War		[29]
	Epic Proportions	Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway	[30]
2000	The Man Who Came to Dinner	American Airlines Theatre, Broadway	[31]
2001	45 Seconds from Broadway	Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway	[32]
2003	Little Shop of Horrors	Virginia Theatre, Broadway	[33]
2004	La Cage aux Folles	Marquis Theatre, Broadway	[34]
2006	The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial	Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway	[35]
	Losing Louie	Biltmore Theatre, Broadway	[36]
2007	A Bronx Tale	Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway	[37]
2011	Sister Act	Broadway Theatre, Broadway	[38]
2016	A Bronx Tale	Longacre Theatre, Broadway	[39]
2017	Hello, Dolly!	Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Broadway	[40]
	Meteor Shower	Booth Theatre, Broadway	[41]
2020	Mrs. Doubtfire	Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway	[42]
2021	The Music Man	Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway	[43]

Actor

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Ref.
1972	Grease	Kenickie (Replacement)	Eden Theatre, Broadway	[44]
1978	Once in a Lifetime	Weisskopf	Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway	[45]
1980	Tintypes	Performer	John Golden Theatre, Broadway	[46]

Production Supervisor

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Ref.
1999	Swing!	Production Supervisor	St. James Theatre, Broadway	[47]

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Project	Result	Ref.
1986	Tony Awards	Best Direction of a Play	The House of Blue Leaves	Won	[48]
1988		Best Direction of a Musical	Anything Goes	Nominated	[49]
1989		Best Direction of a Play	Lend Me a Tenor	Won	[50]
1991			Six Degrees of Separation	Won	[51]
1992		Best Direction of a Musical	Guys and Dolls	Won	[52]
1995			Smokey Joe's Cafe	Nominated	[53]
1996			A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum	Nominated	[54]
2017			Hello, Dolly!	Nominated	[55]
1980	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actor in a Musical	Tintypes	Nominated
1986		Outstanding Director of a Play	The Marriage of Bette & Boo / The House of Blue Leaves	Won
1988		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Anything Goes	Nominated
1989		Outstanding Director of a Play	Lend Me a Tenor	Won
1991			Six Degrees of Separation	Won
1991		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Assassins	Nominated
1992			Guys and Dolls	Won
2006		Outstanding Director of a Play	The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial	Nominated
2022	Drama League Award	Best Direction of a Musical	The Music Man	Nominated
1985	Obie Award		The Marriage of Bette and Boo / The Foreigner	Won
1988	Outer Critics Circle Awards	Best Direction	Wenceslas Square	Won
2022		Best Direction of a Musical	Mrs. Doubtfire	Nominated

References

1. Filmreference.com
2. Beckerman, Jim. "Tony-award winning director Jerry Zaks goes home to Paterson", The Record, March 27, 2016. Accessed October 18, 2021. "As if he was – at heart — just another student at Paterson's Eastside High School, which he graduated from 53 years ago.... Though Zaks, a New York resident since the late 1960s, hadn't been back to Eastside since 1963, when he graduated, Eastside came back to him – through his work."
3. Shapiro, Danielle. "Celebrating 80 years of Eastside High", The Record, December 1, 2006. Accessed October 18, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Jerry Joseph Zaks Class of 1963, Broadway theater director, who directed more than 30 productions on the Great White Way including, The Front Page, Anything Goes and Smokey Joe's Cafe."
4. Rothstein, Mervyn. "Stage Struck" Archived 2007-02-03 at the Wayback Machine Cigaraficionado.com, March/April 1998
5. Gussow, Mel (January 6, 1981). "Stage:'Beyond Therapy by Durang at Phoenix". The New York Times. p. C11. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
6. Hernandez, Ernio and Hetrick, Adam."They've Got Rhythm: Gasteyer, Knight, Kudisch Lead Gershwin's Girl Crazy for Encores! Nov. 19-22" Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, Nov 19, 2009
7. Gans, Andrew."Casting Complete for Encores! Stairway to Paradise" Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, April 19, 2007
8. Brantley, Ben."Review The New York Times, May 8, 2004
9. Hetrick, Adam and Jones, Kenneth. "101 Dalmatians: The Musical Tour to Launch in Minneapolis; Will Play NYC" Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, July 9, 2009
10. Jones, Kenneth."Zaks Is New Patriarch of Addams Family; Previews Will Now Begin March 8" Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, December 29, 2009
11. SISTER ACT Confirms Broadway for Spring 2011; Zaks to Direct. Broadwayworld.com
12. Biography Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, accessed January 30, 2010
13. Holden, Stephen (April 8, 2010). "Fictional History: What It Was Like to Start Rock 'n' Roll, Sort Of". The New York Times.
14. "20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
15. "Cherry Jones, Ellen Burstyn, Cameron Mackintosh and More Inducted Into Broadway's Theater Hall of Fame". Theatermania.com. 27 January 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
16. "Marvin's Room". Variety. 15 December 1996. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
17. "Jerry Zaks - IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
18. "STAGE : The Laugh Doctor Is In : A sensitivity to the mechanics of comedy has earned director Jerry Zaks four Tonys and cheers from his peers". Los Angeles Times. 11 October 1992. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
19. "The House of Blue Leaves (Broadway, 1986)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
20. "The Front Page (Broadway, 1986)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
21. "Anything Goes (Broadway, 1987)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
22. "Lend Me a Tenor (Broadway, 1989)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
23. "Six Degrees of Separation (Broadway, 1990)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
24. "Guys and Dolls (Broadway, 1992)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
25. "Hwang play falls on 'Face'". Variety. 16 March 1993. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
26. "Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Broadway, 1993)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
27. "Smokey Joe's Cafe (Broadway, 1995)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
28. "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Broadway, 1996)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
29. "Civil War (Broadway, 1999)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
30. "Epic Proportions (Broadway, 1999)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
31. "The Man Who Came to Dinner (Broadway, 2000)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
32. "45 Seconds from Broadway (Broadway, 2001)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
33. "Little Shop of Horrors (Broadway, 2003)". April 25, 2024.
34. "La Cage aux Folles (Broadway, 2004)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
35. "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Broadway, 2006)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
36. "Losing Louie (Broadway, 2006)". April 25, 2024.
37. "A Bronx Tale (Broadway, 2007)". April 25, 2024.
38. "Sister Act (Broadway, 2011)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
39. "A Bronx Tale (Broadway, 2016)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
40. "Hello, Dolly! (Broadway, 2017)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
41. "Meteor Shower (Broadway, 2017)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
42. "Mrs. Doubtfire (Broadway, 2020)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
43. "The Music Man (Broadway, 2021)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
44. "Grease (Broadway, 1972)". April 25, 2024.
45. "Once in a Lifetime (Broadway, 1978)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
46. "Tintypes (Broadway, 1980)". April 25, 2024.
47. "Swing! (Broadway, 1999)". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
48. "1986 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
49. "1988 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
50. "1989 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
51. "1991 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
52. "1992 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
53. "1995 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
54. "1996 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
55. "2017 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 25, 2024.

External links

• Jerry Zaks at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jerry Zaks at IMDb
• Internet Off-Broadway Database listing
• Jerry Zaks collected news and commentary at The New York Times