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Israel Horovitz Biography (1939-)

Born March 31, 1939, in Wakefield, MA; son of Julius Charles (a lawyer) and Hazel Rose (maiden name, Solberg) Horovitz; married Elaine Abber, 1959 (marriage annulled, 1960); married Doris Keefe, December 25, 1959 (divorced, 1972);married Gillian Adams (an athlete), 1981; children: (second marriage) RachaelKeefe (a producer and actress), Matthew Keefe (an actor and novelist), AdamKeefe (an actor and performer with the musical group the Beastie Boys); (third marriage) Hannah Rebecca and Oliver Adams (twins). Addresses: Agent:James Crabbe, William Morris Agency, 151 South El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills,CA 90212.

Nationality

American

Gender

Male

Occupation

Playwright, director, actor

Birth Details

March 31, 1939

Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Work
• Director
• Chiaroscuro (also known as Chiaroscuro (or Morning)), Festival of Two Worlds, Spoleto Festival Theatre, Spoleto, Italy, 1968
• Le premiere, Theatre de Poche, Paris, 1972
• Alfred the Great, American Center Theatre, Paris, 1972
• Hopscotch [and] Spared, Theatre du Centre Cultural Americain, Paris, 1974
• Strong-Man's Weak Child, Los Angeles, 1990
• (With others) Stations of the Cross, Gloucester Stage Company, Gorton Theatre, Gloucester, MA, 1998
• Also directed a production of Mighty Bad Day.
• Stage Appearances
• Stations of the Cross, Gloucester Stage Company, Gorton Theatre, Gloucester, MA, 1998
• Television Appearances
• Movies
• Dr. Berkowitz, North Shore Fish, Showtime, 1997
• Older man, "The Listeners," Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground, HBO, 1997
• Louis Schurr, James Dean, TNT, 2001
• Episodic
• "Arthur Miller and Israel Horovitz in Conversation," Camera Three,CBS, 1970
• Other
• Timothy, Corps plonges, 1998
• Feld, The First Seven Years, 1998
• Television Work
• Specials
• Producer and director, VD Blues, National Educational Television,1972
• Film Appearances
• Dr. Benton, The Strawberry Statement, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1970
• Poet, Sunshine (also known as The Taste of Sunshine, A napfeny ize, and Sunshine--Ein Hauch von Sonnenschein), Paramount,1999
• Also appeared in Dead Letters Don't Die and Trifecta.
• Film Director
• Fighting over Beverley, 1988
• Radio Appearances
• The Chips Are Down, BBC4, 1995
• Stations of the Cross, BBC4, 1998
• Also appeared in Fighting over Beverley, BBC4.
• WRITINGS
• Plays
• The Comeback, Suffolk Theatre, Emerson Theatre, Boston, MA, 1958
• The Death of Bernard the Believer, Il Cafe Cabaret Theatre, SouthOrange, NJ, 1960
• This Play Is about Me, Il Cafe Cabaret Theatre, 1961
• The Hanging of Emmanuel, Il Cafe Cabaret Theatre, 1962
• Hop, Skip, and Jump, Il Cafe Cabaret Theatre, 1963
• The Simon Street Harvest, Il Cafe Cabaret Theatre, 1964
• The Killer Dove (two-act), Theatre on the Green, West Orange, NY,1966
• Line (one-act), Cafe La MaMa, 13th Street Theatre, New York City,1967, then Theatre de Lys, New York City, 1971, also (as two-act), Mark TaperForum, Los Angeles, 1969; published in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus (Lyme, NH), 1996
• The Indian Wants the Bronx (one-act), Astor Place Theatre, New York City, 1968; published by Dramatists Play Service (New York City), 1968, inFirst Season, Random House (New York City), 1968, and in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith &Kraus, 1996
• It's Called the Sugar Plum (one-act), Astor Place Theatre, 1968; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1968, in First Season, Random House, 1968, and in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Rats (one-act), Cafe Au Go Go, New York City, 1968; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1968, in First Season, Random House, 1968, inIsrael Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996, and in Theatre for Young Audiences: Around theWorld in 21 Plays, 1997
• Chiaroscuro (one-act; also known as Chiaroscuro (or Morning)), Festival of Two Worlds, Spoleto Festival Theatre, Spoleto, Italy, 1968, then as "Morning," Morning, Noon, and Night, Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City, 1968; published by Random House (New York City), 1969; publishedas Morning in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• The Honest-to-God Schnozzola (one-act), Act IV Theatre, Provincetown, MA, 1968, then (with Leader), Gramercy Arts Theatre, New York City, 1969; published by Breakthrough Press, 1971, and in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Leader (one-act; double-bill with The Honest-to-God Schnozzola), Gramercy Arts Theatre, 1969; published with Play for Trees, Dramatists Play Service, 1973
• Acrobats (one-act), Mickery Theatre, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1970,then (double-bill with Line), New Comedy Theatre, Theatre de Lys, NewYork City, 1971; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1971 and in IsraelHorovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Clair-Obscur, Theatre Lucernairre, Paris, 1970; published by Gallimard, 1972
• Dr. Hero (also known as The World's Greatest Play), PublicTheatre, New York City, 1971; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1973
• Le premiere, Theatre de Poche, Paris, 1972
• Shooting Gallery, Workshop of the Performing Arts Theatre, New York City, 1973; published with Play for Germs, Dramatists Play Service,1973, and in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Play for Germs (based on his television play VD Blues), published with Shooting Gallery by Dramatists Play Service, 1973, and inIsrael Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Capella, published by Harper & Row (New York City), 1973 produced, 1978
• The Wakefield Plays (contains Alfred the Great, Hopscotch, Our Father's Failing, Alfred Dies, Stage Directions, Spared, and The 75th), performed in various combinations between 1973 and 1986; Alfred the Great published by Harper & Row, 1974, Hopscotch and The 75th published as Hopscotch and The 75th: The Quannapowitt Quartet, Parts One and Two, by Dramatists Play Service, 1977, and in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• The First, The Last, and The Middle (a "comic triptych"), 1974
• Turnstile, Hanover, NH, 1974
• Spared, 1975 published in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works,Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Uncle Snake: An Independence Day Pageant, New York City, 1975; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1976
• The Primary English Class, Cubicula Theatre, then Circle in the Square, both New York City, 1975; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1976
• The Bottom, 1975-1976
• The Reason We Eat, Hartman Theatre, Stamford, CT, 1976
• Sunday Runners in the Rain, 1976
• The Former One-on-One Basketball Champion, Actors Studio, New YorkCity, 1977; published with The Great Labor Day Classic, Dramatists Play Service, 1982, and in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• (Adaptor) Eugene Ionesco's Man with Bags, translated by Marie-France Ionesco, Towson State University Theatre, Towson, MD, 1977; published by Grove Press (New York City), 1977
• The Lounge Player, New York City, 1977
• (With David Boorstin) Cappella (adaption of his novel of the sametitle), Off-Center Theatre, New York City, 1978
• Stage Directions, Actors Studio, 1978; published in Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith &Kraus, 1996
• The Widow's Blind Date, New York City, 1978; published by TheatreCommunications Group (New York City), 1981, and in New England Blue: Playsof Working-Class Life, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Mackerel, Gloucester Stage Company, Hartford, CT, 1978; publishedby Talonbooks Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1979
• A Christmas Carol, Scrooge and Marley (based on the novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens), Baltimore, MD, 1978; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1979
• The Good Parts, produced at Actors Studio, New York City, 1979; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1983
• The Great Labor Day Classic, in Holidays, Louisville, KY, 1979, then alone, New York City, 1984; published with The Former One-on-OneBasketball Champion, New Dramatists Play Service, 1982
• A Trilogy (also known as Growing Up and The Sault Ste. Marie Trilogy; based on material by Morley Torgov; contains The ChopinPlayoffs, A Rosen by Any Other Name, and Today, I Am a FountainPen), American Jewish Theatre, New York City, 1985-1986; The Chopin Playoffs published by Dramatists Play Service, 1987; Today, I Am a Fountain Pen (also known as Israel Horovitz's Today, I Am a Fountain Pen) published by Dramatists Play Service, 1987; A Rosen by Any Other Name published by Dramatists Play Service, 1987
• Henry Lumper, Gloucester, MA, 1985, then Actors Outlet Theatre, New York City, 1989; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1990, and in NewEngland Blue: Plays of Working-Class Life, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• North Shore Fish, Workshop of the Performing Arts Theatre, 1985-1986; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1989, and in New England Blue: Plays of Working-Class Life, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Year of the Duck, Portland, ME, 1986, then Hudson Guild Theatre, New York City, 1987; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1988
• "Faith," Faith, Hope, and Charity, South Street Theatre, New YorkCity, 1988-1989; published by Dramatists Play Service, 1989, and in IsraelHorovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Strong-Man's Weak Child, Los Angeles, 1990; published in New England Blue: Plays of Working-Class Life, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Park Your Car in Harvard Yard, Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1991-1992; published as Israel Horovitz's Park Your Car in Harvard Yard, Samuel French (New York City), 1993, and in New England Blue: Plays of Working-Class Life, Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Fighting over Beverley, Gloucester, MA, 1993
• Green-Eyed Monster, 1993
• Unexpected Tenderness, Workshop of the Performing Arts Theatre, 1994; published in New England Blue: Plays of Working-Class Life, Smith& Kraus, 1996
• Barking Sharks, 1995
• Lebenstraum, Gloucester Stage Company, 1996, then New York City, 1997
• My Old Lady, Gloucester Stage Company, 1996, then New York City, 1997
• One Under, Gloucester Stage Company, 1997
• Captains and Courage (based on Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling), 1997
• Stations of the Cross, Gloucester Stage Company, Gorton Theatre, Gloucester, MA, 1998
• Fast Hands, 1999
• Also author of The Lounge Player. Horovitz's plays have been translated into as many as thirty languages and have been produced in several cities throughout the world.
• Play Collections
• First Season (contains The Indian Wants the Bronx, It'sCalled the Sugar Plum, and Rats), Vintage Books (New York City), 1968
• An Israel Horovitz Trilogy, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1987
• Israel Horovitz: Collected Works, Volume I: Sixteen Short Plays (also known as Works; contains Acrobats, Faith, The Former One-on-One Basketball Champion, The Great Labor Day Classic, The Honest-to-God Schnozzola, Hopscotch, The Indian Wants the Bronx, It's Called the Sugar Plum, Line, Morning, Play for Germs, Rats, The 75th, The Shooting Gallery, Spared, and Stage Directions), Smith & Kraus (Lyme, NH), 1994
• New England Blue: Plays of Working-Class Life (contains Henry Lumper, North Shore Fish, Park Your Car in Harvard Yard, Strong Man's Weak Child, Unexpected Tenderness, and The Widow'sBlind Date), Smith & Kraus, 1996
• Plays represented in anthologies, including Collision Course, edited by Edward Parone, Random House (New York City), 1968; The Waterford Plays, edited by John Lahr, Grove (New York City), 1968; The Best Short Plays, edited by Stanley Richards, Chilton, 1968-1970, 1975, 1977-78; andFamous American Plays of the 1960s, edited by Harold Clurman, Dell (New York City), 1972.
• Screenplays
• The Strawberry Statement (based on the book by James Simon Kumen),Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1970
• Line (adapted from his play of the same title), Kaleidoscope Films, 1970
• (Translator) Machine Gun McCain (also known as Gli intoccabili; based on the screenplay by Giuliano Montaldo and Mino Roli and the novelCandyleg by Ovid Demaris), Columbia, 1970
• Alfredo, 1970
• Believe in Me (also known as Speed Is of the Essence), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1971
• Camerian Climbing, 1971
• The Sad-Eyed Girls in the Park, 1971
• Acrobats (adapted from his play of the same title), Walker StuartProductions, 1972
• Fast Eddie, 1980
• Author! Author!, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1982
• Fell, 1982
• Berta, 1982
• Firebird at Dogtown, 1984
• Light Years (based on the novel by James Salter), 1985
• Wedlock, 1985
• (With Diane Kurys and Olivier Schatzky) A Man in Love (adaptation;also known as Un homme amoureux), Cinecom, 1987
• Payofski's Discovery, 1987
• The Deuce, 1988
• Strong-Man's Weak Child, 1988
• Faith, 1988
• Fighting over Beverley, 1988
• The Pan, 1989
• Letters to Iris, 1989
• The Quiet Room, 1990
• Park Your Car in Harvard Yard, 1991
• Barbers in Love, 1991
• Strong Man (based on his stage play Strong-Man's Weak Child), c. 1991
• Without a Word, 1994
• A Star Is Born, 1994
• The Lounge Player, 1995
• (With Istvan Szabo) Sunshine (also known as The Taste of Sunshine, A napfeny ize, and Sunshine--Ein Hauch von Sonnenschein), Paramount, 1999
• Also wrote the screenplay Henry Lumper (based on his play).
• Television Specials
• Play for Trees, National Educational Television, 1969 published with Leader, Dramatists Play Service, 1973
• (With Jules Feiffer) VD Blues, National Educational Television, 1972 published by Avon (New York, NY), 1974
• The Primary English Class (based on his play of the same title), 1976
• Start to Finish, CBS, 1977
• The Making and Breaking of Splinters Braun, CBS, between 1977 and1978
• Bartleby the Scrivener (adapted from a story by Herman Melville),1978
• The Deer Park (based on a novel by Norman Mailer), 1979
• Full House, 1983
• The Booth, 1985
• A Rosen by Any Other Name (based on his play of the same title), 1987
• Today I Am a Fountain Pen (based on his play of the same title), 1987
• The Chopin Playoffs (based on his play of the same title), 1990
• "It's Called the Sugar Plum" (based on his play of the same title), General Motors Playwrights Theater, Arts and Entertainment, 1991
• Television Movies
• North Shore Fish (based on his play of the same title), Showtime,1997
• James Dean, TNT, 2001
• Other Television Writing
• Also wrote A Day with Conrad Green (adapted from a story by Ring Lardner), D.C.A.C., Funny Books, Happy, and The IndianWants the Bronx (based on his play of the same title). Author of television plays, broadcast by BBC.
• Radio Writing
• The Chips Are Down, BBC4, 1995
• Phone Tag, BBC4, 1997
• Stations of the Cross, BBC4, 1998
• Also author of Fighting over Beverley, BBC4.
• Other
• (With David Boorshin) First Season Cappella (novel; also known asCapella), Harper (New York City), 1973
• Nobody Loves Me (novella), Editions de Minuit (Paris), 1975 Braziller (New York City), 1976
• Spider Poems and Other Writings, Harper, 1976
• Author of "Words from New York," a column in Magazine Litteraire,beginning in 1971. Contributor to periodicals, including Dramatists GuildQuarterly, Painted Bride Quarterly, Paris Review, Poetry, and Village Voice.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

• Contemporary Dramatists, 6th edition, St. James Press, 1999
• Kane, Leslie, editor, Israel Horovitz: A Collection of Critical Essays, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1994

Periodicals

• Runner's World, November, 1992, p. 40