Ira Levin

Infobox Writer
name = Ira Levin


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birthdate = birth date|1929|8|27
birthplace = The Bronx, New York City,
New York, United States
deathdate = death date and age|2007|11|12|1929|8|27
deathplace = Manhattan, New York City,
New York, United States
occupation =
nationality = American
period = 1953–1997
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spouse =
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Ira Levin (August 27 1929 – November 12 2007) [cite web|title = Ira Levin, of ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ Dies at 78 |url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/books/14levin.html?ref=arts |publisher = New York Times |accessdate = 2007-11-14] was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter.

Professional life

Levin attended Drake University. At Drake, he regularly played poker with other notables, such as Martin Erlichman and Eugene Schulman (both before and after Schulman married Helen Glazer in 1949). In addition to Drake, Levin graduated from the Horace Mann School and New York University, where he majored in philosophy and English.

After college, he wrote training films and scripts for television. The first of these was "Leda’s Portrait", for "Lights Out" in 1951.

Levin's first produced play was "No Time for Sergeants" (adapted from Mac Hyman's novel), a comedy about a hillbilly drafted into the United States Air Force that launched the career of Andy Griffith. The play was turned into a movie in 1958, and co-starred Don Knotts, Griffith's long-time co-star and friend. "No Time for Sergeants" is generally considered the precursor to "Gomer Pyle, USMC". Fact|date=November 2007

Levin's first novel, "A Kiss Before Dying", was well received, earning him the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. "A Kiss Before Dying" was turned into a movie twice, first in 1956, and again in 1991.

Levin's best-known play is "Deathtrap", which holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway and brought Levin his second Edgar Award. In 1982, it was made into a film starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine.

Levin's best-known novel is "Rosemary's Baby," a horror story of modern day Satanism and other occultisms, set in Manhattan's Upper West Side. In 1968, it was made into a film starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance. Roman Polanski, who wrote and directed the film, was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Other Levin novels were turned into movies, including "The Boys from Brazil" in 1978; "The Stepford Wives" in 1975 and again in 2004; and "Sliver" in 1993. Currently a new version of "The Boys from Brazil" is in development for 2009.

Stephen King has described Ira Levin as "the Swiss watchmaker of suspense novels, he makes what the rest of us do look like cheap watchmakers in drugstores." Chuck Palahniuk, in "", calls Levin's writing "a smart, updated version of the kind of folksy legends that cultures have always used."

Personal life

Levin was married and divorced twice, and had three sons and three grandsons [cite web|title = `Rosemary's Baby' Author Dies |url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5io_3GrS6dYN0LoPJXtsbUd56MNjAD8ST1DM80 |publisher = Associated Press |accessdate = 2007-11-13] .

Death

Ira Levin died in Manhattan from a heart attack on November 12 2007. [cite web|title = Ira Levin, author of chilling novels, dies at 78 |url = http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/14/america/obit.1-168787.php |publisher = International Herald Tribune |accessdate = 2007-11-14]

Bibliography

Novels

* "A Kiss Before Dying" (1953)
* "Rosemary's Baby" (1967)
* "This Perfect Day" (1970, winner 1992 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award)
* "The Stepford Wives" (1972)
* "The Boys from Brazil" (1976)
* "Sliver" (1991)
* "Son of Rosemary" (1997)

Plays

* "No Time For Sergeants" (1956)
* "Interlock" (1958)
* "Critic's Choice" (1960)
* "General Seeger" (1962)
* "Dr. Cook's Garden" (1968)
* "Veronica's Room" (1974)
* "Deathtrap" (1978) - Tony Nomination for Best Play
* "Break a Leg: A Comedy in Two Acts" (1981)
* "Cantorial" (1982)

Musicals

* "Drat! The Cat!" (1965) - lyricist and bookwriter

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=6436 Ira Levin] at the Internet Broadway Database
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2871196.ece Obituary in "The Times", 15 November 2007]
* [http://www.kruegerbooks.com/books/sig/levin-ira.html Signature of Ira Levin]

References