Mamet

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David Mamet
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"Bambi vs Godzilla" redirects here. For the short animated film, see Bambi Meets Godzilla.
David Mamet |

Mamet at the premiere of Redbelt |
Born | November 30, 1947 (age 64)
Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Occupation | Author, playwright, screenwriter, film director |
Nationality| United States |
Notable work(s) | Duck Variations (1971)
Sexual Perversity in Chicago(1974)
American Buffalo (1975)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1984)
Oleanna (1992)
The Postman Always Rings Twice(1981)
House of Games (1987)
The Untouchables (1987)
Homicide (1991)
Hannibal(2001)
The Unit (2006) |
Spouse(s) | Lindsay Crouse (1977–1990; 2 children, including Zosia)
RebeccaPidgeon (1991–present; 2 children) |
Influences[show] |
David Alan Mamet ( /ˈmæmɨt/; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director.
Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag theDog (1997). Mamet's books include: The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, a commentary on the movie business.
Contents  [hide]  *1 Early life * 2 Career * 2.1 Theatre * 2.2 Film * 2.3 Books * 2.4 Television and radio * 2.5 Other media / political views * 3 "Mamet speak" * 4 Personal life * 5 Works * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 Further reading * 9 External links |
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[edit]Early life
Mamet was born in 1947 in Chicago to Jewish parents,Lenore June (Silver), a teacher, and Bernard Morris Mamet, an attorney.[1] One of his first jobs was as a busboy at Chicago's The Second City. He was educated at the progressive Francis W. Parker School and atGoddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.
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[edit]Career
[edit]Theatre
Mamet is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company; he firstgained acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway plays in 1976, The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo.[2] He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for Glengarry Glen Ross, which received its first Broadway revival in the summer of 2005. His play Race, which opened on Broadway on December 6, 2009 and featured James Spader, David Alan Grier, Kerry Washington, and RichardThomas in the cast, received mixed reviews.[3] Mamet received the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for Grand Master of American Theater in 2010.
[edit]Film
Mamet's first produced screenplay was the 1981 production of The Postman Always Rings Twice (directed by Bob Rafelson), based upon James M. Cain's novel. He received an Academy Award nomination one year later for hisfirst script, The Verdict, written in the late 1970s. He also wrote the screenplay for The Untouchables.
In 1987, Mamet made his film directing debut with House of Games, starring his then-wife, Lindsay Crouse, and a host of longtime stage associates. He uses friends as actors,[4]especially in one early scene in the movie, which featured Vermont poker playing friends. He is quoted as saying, "Itwas my first film as a director and I needed support, so I stacked the deck."[citation needed] Two of the four poker friends included in the film were fellow Goddard College graduates Allen Soule and Bob Silverstein. Three of Mamet's own films, House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, and Heist, have involved the world of con artists.
Mamet adapted Glengarry Glen Ross for the cinema in 1992,...