Herbert Ross

Herbert Ross
Born Herbert David Ross
(1927-05-13)May 13, 1927
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died October 9, 2001(2001-10-09) (aged 74)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Resting place Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Years active 1942–1995
Spouse(s)
Nora Kaye
(m. 1959; d. 1987)

Lee Radziwiłł
(m. 1988; div. 2001)

Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in the stage and film.

Early life

Ross was born on May 13, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Martha Grundfast and Louis Chester Ross,[1] a postal clerk. At the age of 9, his mother died and his father moved the family to Miami and opened a luncheonette.[2]

Career

In 1942, Ross' stage debut came as "Third Witch" in a touring company of Macbeth. The next year brought his first Broadway performance credits with Something for the Boys. By 1950, he was a choreographer with the American Ballet Theatre and choreographed his first Broadway production, the Arthur Schwartz-Dorothy Fields musical adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Ross's first film assignment came as an uncredited choreographer on Carmen Jones (1954).[3] In the UK, he choreographed The Young Ones (1961) and Summer Holiday (1963), both starring Cliff Richard. Later, he worked with Barbra Streisand as choreographer and director of musical numbers for Funny Girl (1968).[4][3]

His film directorial debut came with the musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), made by MGM-British, with Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark. He went on to direct films involving ballet, such as The Turning Point (1977),[4] Nijinsky (1980)[5] and Dancers (1987).[6] Other films of critical acclaim followed in the 1970s and 1980s such as Neil Simon's adaptations of his own plays and film adaptations of Broadway productions through his last project, Boys on the Side (1995).[7][8]

Personal life

In 1959, he married Nora Kaye, a ballerina,[9] with whom he produced four films.[10] In 1987, when Ross was 60, he was widowed as his wife Nora succumbed to cancer.[2][11]

In September 1988, he married for the second time to Lee Radziwiłł,[12] the younger sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.[13] The marriage ended in divorce in 2001, shortly before his death.[14] In 2013, Radziwiłł described their relationship as follows:[15]

“He was certainly different from anybody else I’d been involved with, and the film world sounded exciting. Well, it wasn’t. I hated Hollywood, and the provincialism of the industry... Herbert had been married to the ballerina Nora Kaye until she died, and unbeknownst to me was still obsessed by her. It was ‘Nora said this, Nora did it like that, Nora liked brown and orange.'”[16]

On October 9, 2001, Ross died from heart failure in New York City.[17][18] A memorial was held for him at the Majestic Theater on West 44th Street in New York where Leslie Browne, Barbara Cook, Arthur Laurents, Marsha Mason, Mike Nichols and Mary-Louise Parker spoke of Ross.[19] He was interred with Kaye in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[20]

Works

Field Year Production Position Distinctions
Play 1942 Macbeth actor (Third Witch) Debut (touring company)
Play 1943 Something for the Boys Debut (Broadway), music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Play 1944 Laffing Room Only
Play 1946 Beggar's Holiday
Play 1948 "Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!"
Play 1950 American Ballet Theatre choreographer
Play 1951 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn choreographer Debut (Broadway production)
Play 1952 Three Wishes for Jamie choreographer Broadway
Film 1954 Carmen Jones choreographer, uncredited Debut (Film)
Play 1954 House of Flowers choreographer Broadway
Play 1958 The Body Beautiful choreographer Broadway
TV 1958 Wonderful Town director Debut (TV film)
Play 1960 Finian's Rainbow choreographer Broadway, revival
Play 1961 The Gay Life choreographer Broadway
Film 1961 The Young Ones choreographer Cliff Richard
Play 1962 I Can Get It for You Wholesale choreographer Broadway
Film 1963 Summer Holiday choreographer Cliff Richard
Play 1963 Tovarich choreographer Broadway
Play 1964 Anyone Can Whistle choreographer Broadway, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Play 1965 Do I Hear a Waltz? choreographer Broadway, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Play 1965 Kelly director, choreographer Broadway
Play 1965 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever choreographer Broadway
Play 1965 The Apple Tree choreographer Broadway
Film 1968 Funny Girl choreographer musical numbers with Barbra Streisand
Film 1969 Goodbye, Mr. Chips director Debut (Film director), 2 Academy Award nominations.
Film 1970 The Owl and the Pussycat director Barbra Streisand
Film 1971 T.R. Baskin director Peter Hyams
Film 1972 Play It Again, Sam director Woody Allen
Film 1973 The Last of Sheila director, producer Debut (Film producer)
Film 1975 The Sunshine Boys director 4 Academy Award nominations. The film won Best Supporting Actor.
Neil Simon's play
Film 1975 Funny Lady director 5 Academy Award nominations. Barbra Streisand
Film 1976 The Seven-Per-Cent Solution director, producer 2 Academy Award nominations.
Film 1977 The Turning Point director, producer 11 Academy Award nominations, but no wins.
Ross won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.
Play 1977 Chapter Two director Neil Simon's play
Film 1977 The Goodbye Girl director 5 Academy Award nominations. The film won Best Actor.
Film 1978 California Suite director 3 Academy Award nominations. The film won Best Supporting Actress. Neil Simon's play
Play 1980 I Ought to Be in Pictures director Broadway, Neil Simon's play
Film 1980 Nijinsky director
Film 1981 Pennies From Heaven director, producer 3 Academy Award nominations.
Film 1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures director, producer Neil Simon's play
Film 1983 Max Dugan Returns director, producer Neil Simon's play
Film 1984 Footloose director 2 Academy Award nominations.
Film 1984 Protocol director
Film 1987 The Secret of My Success director, producer
Film 1987 Dancers director
Film 1989 Steel Magnolias director 1 Academy Award nomination for Julia Roberts.
Biggest hit film.
Adaptation of Robert Harling's play (1987).
Film 1990 My Blue Heaven director, producer
Film 1991 True Colors director, producer
Film 1991 Soapdish executive producer Only film project he did not direct
Film 1993 Undercover Blues director
Film 1995 Boys on the Side director, producer Last film
The film was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film Festival.[21]

References

  1. http://www.filmreference.com/film/47/Herbert-Ross.html
  2. 1 2 Lyman, Rick (11 October 2001). "Herbert Ross, Broadway Choreographer Turned Hollywood Director, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Kisselgoff, Anna (6 January 1994). "Review/Dance; From Perfectionism to Pastiche In the Films of Herbert Ross". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 Bosworth, Patricia (20 November 1977). "On Stage and Screen, It's All Coming Up Ross's". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  5. Canby, Vincent (20 March 1980). "The Screen: 'Nijinsky,' Filmed by Herbert Ross; Pointeless". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  6. Kisselgoff, Anna (25 October 1987). "DANCE VIEW; Dancers': More Than Meets The Eye". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  7. Maslin, Janet (3 February 1995). "FILM REVIEW; Another Buddy Story, With a Twist or Two". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  8. Gates, Anita (19 February 1995). "TAKING THE CHILDREN; Zipping Through School, but, Boy, Is He Dumb". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  9. Martin, John (26 June 1943). "NORA KAYE MAKES 'SWAN LAKE' DEBUT; Her Performance High Point of Ballet Program at the Lewisohn Stadium EGLEVSKY AS THE PRINCE Markova, Massine, Laing and Tudor Dance in 'Aleko' --'Bluebeard' Also Seen". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  10. Kisselgoff, Anna (8 June 1977). "Nora Kaye Recollects". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  11. Anderson, Jack (5 January 1988). "Nora Kaye Honored In Memorial Tribute By Artist Colleagues". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  12. Nemy, Enid (12 August 1999). "Anthony Stanislas Radziwill, 40, Award-Winning TV Producer". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  13. "Lee Bouvier Radziwill Weds Herbert Ross, Film Director". The New York Times. 24 September 1988. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  14. "Lee Bouvier Radziwill Weds Herbert Ross, Film Director". New York Times. September 24, 1988. Retrieved June 21, 2007. Lee Bouvier Radziwill (younger sister of the late former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis), and Herbert Ross were married yesterday evening at the bride's home in New York by Justice E. Leo Milonas of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, First Department. After the ceremony, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the sister of the bride, gave a dinner party for the couple at her home in New York. Rudolf Nureyev, the dancer and director of the Paris Opera Ballet, and John Taras, the associate director of American Ballet Theatre, attended the couple.
  15. Haslam, Nicky (February 7, 2013). "The Real Lee Radziwill". The New York Times Magazine. The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  16. Template:If news
  17. "Paid Notice: Deaths ROSS, HERBERT D." The New York Times. 12 October 2001. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  18. "Paid Notice: Deaths ROSS, HERBERT". The New York Times. 16 October 2001. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  19. "Memorial for Herbert Ross". The New York Times. 14 December 2001. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  20. NNDB
  21. "19th Moscow International Film Festival (1995)". MIFF. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
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