Born February 1, 1910, in Rochester, NY; died of congestive heart failure, March 12, 1993, in Los Angeles, CA. Artist, entertainer, producer, playwright and screenwriter.
Kanin was perhaps best known as the coauthor, with Ring Lardner, Jr., of the1942 Academy Award-winning screenplay Woman of the Year, which introduced audiences to the highly successful screen team of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. A scenic artist, musician, and entertainer during the thirties,Kanin eventually sustained an eye injury that turned his focus to writing. He wrote numerous screenplays, many with his wife Fay Mitchell, including Sunday Punch, Rhapsody starring Elizabeth Taylor, and Cabbages and Kings. Kanin was the author of other screenplays, including PanamaLady, The Outrage, and, with Ben Starr, How to Commit Marriage. Healso produced and directed movies and plays, such as A Double Life for Universal in 1947 and the play Goodbye, My Fancy. Rashomon and the musical The Gay Life are counted among Kanin and Mitchell'sBroadway productions. Kanin was also the founder of the Michael Kanin Original Playwrighting Awards for the American College Theater Festival and a charter member of the Writers Guild of America West.
Books
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