Elia Kazan

Elia Kazan. , Elia Kazan was described as one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history. He was also vilified for his appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1952. He produced and wrote screenplays and novels and acted professionally for eight years before becoming a stage and film director. Elia was a member of the influential Group Theater and co-founded the Actors Studio in 1947 that introduced "Method" acting to the American stage and cinema., Kazan also introduced a new generation of unknown young actors to movie audiences, including Marlon Brando, James Dean, Julie Harris, Warren Beatty, Lee Remick and Eli Wallach. He directed 21 different actors to Oscar nominations resulting in nine wins. He became one of the consummate filmmakers of the 20th century after directing a string of successful films, including, Splendor in the Grass, On the Waterfront, and East of Eden. During his career, he won two Oscars for Best Director, received an Honorary Oscar in 1999, and won three Tony Awards and four Golden Globes. A Streetcar Named Desire, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. His novels include The Arrangement and America, America. The latter went on to become an Academy Award winning movie of the same name., Born Elias Kazanjoglou in Constantinople, Turkey to parents of Greek decent, Elia Kazan was four years old when his father moved to New York City and shortened the family name to Kazan. In 1922, the family moved to 731 Webster Avenue in New Rochelle. He graduated from New Rochelle High School and was a frequent patron of the New Rochelle Public Library., Elia Kazan was married three times and had an affair with actress Marilyn Monroe before she married Arthur Miller. He died in 2003 in New York City at the age of 94.