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FAMILY BACKGROUND Elaine May was born Elaine Berlin in Philadelphia on April 21st, 1932. She was the daughter of the theatre director and actor Jack Berlin and the actress Jeannie Berlin. As a child, Elaine would occasionally perform with her father in the Yiddish Theater he ran. She later moved to Los Angeles, California in 1942 at the age of ten. She married Marvin May in the late 1940’s (exact date of marriage is unknown) and became a mother before the age of 18 by having a daughter, actress Jeannie Berlin , in 1949 (Her daughter was named after her mother). She later divorced Marvin (again, exact date is unknown). She would marry again in 1962 to the lyricist Sheldon Harnick , who is most known for his involvement in Fiddler On The Roof (1971). However, the two soon divorced in 1963. CAREER - STAGE In 1947, May studied acting under Maria Ouspenskaya , the veteran theater and screen actress. In 1950, May attended the University of Chicago and Playwrights Theatre in Chicago. In 1953, she became a member of the improvisational theatre group The Compass Players , founded by Paul Sills and David Shepherd , which later became The Second City . She remained a member until 1957. During her membership, May met Mike Nichols and began a successful partnership with him. Together they formed a comedic duo, performing in New York clubs and making several TV appearances. In 1960, the duo showcased the Broadway debut of “ An Evening With Mike Nichols And Elaine May .” Throughout the 1960s, thanks in part to the successful duet with Nichols, May wrote, directed, and acted in various forms of theatre. In addition, she wrote and preformed for radio and recorded several comedy albums. May also wrote several plays during this period. Her greatest success was the one-act “ Adaptation .” Other stage plays she has written include “ Not Enough Rope ”, “ Mr. Gogol And Mr. Preen ”, as well as the one-act plays “ Hot Line ” and “ After The Night And The Music .” She also directed the off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally 's “ Adaptation/Next .” Current plays she has written include “ Power Plays ” in 1998 (co-written with Alan Arkin ), “ Taller Than A Dwarf ” in 2000, and “ Adult Entertainment ” in 2002 (which is directed by the great Stanley Donen ). Interestingly, Nichols and May starred together in a stage version of “ Who’s Afraid Of The Virginia Woolf? ” at the Long Wharf Theater in 1980. Nichols had previous directed a film version of this play back in 1966. CAREER - FILM - DIRECTING May made her film writing and directing debut in 1971 with the cult classic “ A New Leaf ,” a zany update on 1930s screwball comedy starring Walter Matthau and her. Originally, May handed in a 180-minute black comedy that the studio cut and sweetened into a 102-minute weird romance. It is unknown if the original cut exists. In her second directorial effort, May found great success with “ The Heartbreak Kid .” The film was a critically lauded and modestly popular comedy with an original screenplay by Neil Simon , featuring hilarious performances from Charles Grodin , Eddie Albert , and May's own daughter, actress Jeannie Berlin . May followed up these two comedies with a bleak crime story entitled “ Mikey And Nicky ” in 1976. The film is best remembered for the wonderful performances given by actors John Cassavetes and Peter Falk . Unfortunately, May’s next directorial effort would be her last with “ Ishtar ” in 1987. Largely shot on location in the Middle East, the production was beset by internal difficulties, and advance publicity was so terrible that the picture never got off the ground, becoming one of the biggest cinematic failures of its day. CAREER - FILM - WRITING May received an Oscar nomination for updating “ Here Comes Mr. Jordan ” as “ Heaven Can Wait .” May reunited with her comedic sidekick Mike Nichols with “ The Birdcage ” in 1996. The film was a relocating of the classic French farce “ La Cage Aux Folles ” to South Beach, Florida. May received her second Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay when she re-teamed once again with Nichols on “ Primary Colors ” in 1997. FILMS AS WRITER: Such Good Friends ( 1971 )'' - Under the pseudonym Esther Dale'' Heaven Can Wait ( 1978 )'' - Co-Writer'' Reds ( 1981 )'' - Co-Writer (Uncredited)'' Tootsie ( 1982 )'' - Co-Writer (Uncredited)'' Labyrinth ( 1986 )'' - Co-Writer (Uncredited)'' Dangerous Minds ( 1995 )'' - Co-Writer (Uncredited)'' The Birdcage ( 1996 ) Primary Colors ( 1998 ) FILMS AS WRITER AND DIRECTOR: A New Leaf ( 1971 )'' - also role as Henrietta Lowell'' Mikey And Nicky ( 1976 ) Ishtar ( 1987 ) FILMS AS DIRECTOR: The Heartbreak Kid ( 1972 ) FILMS AS ACTRESS: Enter Laughing ( 1966 )'' - as Angela'' Luv ( 1967 )'' - as Ellen Manville'' Bach to Bach ( 1967 )'' - as a Woman'' California Suite ( 1978 )'' - as Millie Michaels'' In The Spirit ( 1990 )'' - as Marianne Flan'' Small Time Crooks ( 2000 )'' - as May'' |
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