José Quintero

Infobox actor
name = José Quintero


caption = Photo by Carl Van Vechten, 1958
birthname = José Benjamin Quintero
birthdate = birth date and age|1924|10|15|df=y
birthplace = Panama City, Panama
deathdate = death date and age|1999|02|26|1924|10|15|df=y
deathplace = New York City, New York, USA
occupation = Theatre director
spouse = Nicholas Tsacrios (1950s-1999)
yearsactive = 1950s-1999
tonyawards = Best Direction of a Play1974 "A Moon for the Misbegotten"

José Benjamin Quintero (October 15, 1924 – February 26, 1999) was a Panamanian theatre director, producer and pedagogue best known for his interpretations of the works of Eugene O'Neill.

Biography

Early years

Quintero was born in Panama City, Panama, the third of four children, to Carlos Rivera Quintero, from Spain, and Consuelo Palmerola. His childhood was self-described as a disaster caused by his overbearing father. He was educated in the United States at Los Angeles City College, and later at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he decided on a career in theatre. After notification of his intention, his father, who wanted him to be a doctor, declared him dead, and lead to a seven year estrangement from his famiily.

Career

Quintero founded the Circle in the Square Theatre in Greenwich Village, Theodore Mann in 1961, which is regarded as the birth of Off-Broadway theatre. He became one of the most celebrated Broadway and Off Broadway directors and producers and worked with some of the greatest names in American theatre. His own name is inextricably linked to that of the American playwright Eugene O'Neill. It was, Quintero's interest which contributed to the rediscovery of O'Neill. Quintero staged several of his works, including "The Iceman Cometh" in 1956, which launched the career of Jason Robards. Later that year, Quintero's production of the New York premiere of "Long Day's Journey Into Night" established his reputation as the quintessential director of O'Neill's dramas and won Tony awards for Best Play and Best Actor (Fredric March). In 1963, he directed "Strange Interlude", with a cast which included Geraldine Page, Jane Fonda, Franchot Tone, Ben Gazzara, Pat Hingle and Betty Field. In 1967, he directed Ingrid Bergman in "More Stately Mansions" in Los Angeles and New York. His production of "A Moon for the Misbegotten", in 1973, won the Tony award for Best Direction. In 1988, he directed the revival of "Long Day's Journey Into Night" with Jason Robards Jr and Colleen Dewhurst. In the course of his career Quintero directed O'Neill plays nineteen times.

Quintero did not limit himself to the works of O'Neill. He directed over seventy productions by a great number of writers, including Truman Capote, Jean Cocteau, Thornton Wilder, Jean Genet and Brendan Behan. He also directed plays by Tennessee Williams, including the 1952 production of "Summer and Smoke" which made Geraldine Page a star and the short-lived 1968 production of "The Seven Descents of Myrtle". In 1961, he directed Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty in the film version of Williams' "The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone" which brought Lotte Lenya an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress. In 1990, he directed Liv Ullman in Noel Coward's "Private Lives" at the National Theatre in Oslo. He also directed operas for the Metropolitan Opera and the Dallas Opera.

Quintero was a noted teacher and lectured on theatre and gave master classes in acting at the University of Houston and Florida State University. In 1996 he directed two early O'Neill plays, "The Long Voyage Home" and "Ile", at the Provincetown Repertory Theater in Massachusetts.

Personal life

Quintero battled alcoholism and with the help of his life partner, Nicholas Tsacrios,citation |title= A Tribute for Jose Quintero at Circle in the Square |first=Jesse |last=McKinley |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9805E6D6123FF931A25756C0A96F958260 |date=May 12, 1999 |accessdate=2008-09-13 |periodical=New York Times ] was able to defeat his addiction in the 1970s. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1987 that necessitated the removal of his larynx which ultimately lead to his death in New York City in 1999. He remained active nearly until the end of his life.

Legacy

He is commemorated by the Jose Quintero Theatre on West 42nd Street, New York.

Bibliography

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References

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External links

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