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Gene Frankel Biography (1923-)

Born December 23, 1923, in New York, NY; son of Barnet (a tailor) and Anna (asocial worker; maiden name, Talerman) Frankel; married Pat Carter (an actress), May 1, 1963; children: Laura Ann, Ethan. Addresses: HOME--Four Washington Square Village, New York, NY 10012. OFFICE-- Gene Frankel Theatre, 24Bond Street, New York, NY 10012.

Gene Frankel told CTFT: "My directing career began when I was hustling in a Brighton Beach pool emporium. Talking theatre and quoting Shakespeare, I zeroed in on this 'mark' who had been eyeing me keenly for the better part of theday. 'Wanna play?' 'No.' 'So what are you looking at?' He told me he was impressed by my spiel and he belonged to an actors' collective that had just lostits director. Would I be interested in replacing him? 'Pay?' 'No pay.' 'No thanks.' His response shook me. 'You'd better! Because if you don't you'll endup shooting your life away in a corner pocket.' I took the job."

Nationality

American

Gender

Male

Birth Details

December 23, 1923

New York, New York, United States

Famous Works

• Credits; PRINCIPAL STAGE APPEARANCES
• A Man's Reach, Provincetown Playhouse, New York City, 1946.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL STAGE WORK; ALL AS DIRECTOR UNLESS INDICATED
• 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, Green Mansions Theatre, Warrenburg, NY, 1947.
• They Shall Not Die, Nat Turner, both People's Drama Theatre, New York City, 1950.
• All My Sons, Stalag 17, My Heart's in the Highlands, The Country Girl, AStreetcar Named Desire, all Resident Theatre, Kansas City, MO, 1951-53.
• (producer) Volpone, Rooftop Theatre, New York City, 1957.
• Richard II, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, 1958.
• (also producer) An Enemy of the People, Actors Playhouse, New York City,1959.
• Machinal, Gate Theatre, New York City, 1960.
• Once There Was a Russian, Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1961.
• The Blacks, St. Marks Playhouse, New York City, 1961.
• Brecht on Brecht, Theatre de Lys, New York City, 1962.
• The Firebugs, Maidman Theatre, New York City, 1963.
• Enrico IV, Harper Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1964.
• Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad,Atelje 212 Theatre, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1965.
• Waiting for Godot, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stockbridge, MA, 1965.
• A Cry of Players, Berkshire Theatre Festival, 1966, then Vivian BeaumontTheatre, New York City, 1968.
• Niggerlovers, Orpheum Theatre, New York City, 1967.
• Emperor Jones, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K., 1968.
• Dream Play, Queens College, Queens, NY, 1968.
• To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, Cherry Lane Theatre, New York City, 1969.
• Indians, Arena Stage, Washington, DC, then Brooks Atkinson Theatre, both1969.
• The Engagement Baby, Helen Hayes Theatre, New York City, 1970.
• Pueblo, Arena Stage, 1971.
• A Gun Play, Cherry Lane Theatre, 1971.
• Lost in the Stars, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1972.
• The Lincoln Mask, Plymouth Theatre, New York City, 1972.
• Othello, Actors Studio, New York City, 1973.
• The Night That Made America Famous, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1975.
• The Diary of Anne Frank, Hartman Theatre, Stamford, CT, 1979.
• Talk to me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen, Lucille Lortel Theatre, 1986.
• 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, Quaigh Theatre, New York City, 1986.
• Also directed The Blacks, Akademie der Kunst, Berlin, and Teatro la Fenice, Venice, Italy; Salem Story, New York City, 1946; They Shall Not Die, 1947;Split Lip, 1974; The Mystery of Perricluse, 1975; The Countessa of MulberryStreet, 1978; White Pelicans, 1986; and in numerous regional theatres, 1969-80.
• Credits; MAJOR TOURS; DIRECTOR
• The Blacks, European cities, 1964.
• Emperor Jones, European cities, 1968.
• Othello, U.S. cities, 1973.
• King Lear, U.S. cities, 1982, then 1985.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL TELEVISION WORK; ALL AS DIRECTOR EPISODIC
• "Volpone," Play of the Week, 1958.
• Credits; SPECIALS
• To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, PBS.
• Moment of Fear, NBC.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL FILM APPEARANCES
• Rocco, G-Man, Universal.
• Writings;DOCUMENTARIES
• In Search of the Actor, Cinefinance, upcoming.

Recent Updates

April 22, 2005: Frankel died on April 20, 2005, in Manhattan, New York, of heart failure. He was 85. Source: New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/theater/22frank.html?, April 22, 2005.