Julian Barry: Difference between revisions
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| name = Killian 'Kbazz' Barry |
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| birth_date = 1930 |
| birth_date = 1930 |
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| occupation = [[Screenwriter]], [[playwright]], [[author]], [[theatre director]] |
| occupation = [[Screenwriter]], [[playwright]], [[author]], [[theatre director]], [[wanker]] |
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| yearsactive = 1956-present |
| yearsactive = 1956-present |
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Revision as of 09:00, 7 September 2011
Killian 'Kbazz' Barry | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1930 |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, playwright, author, theatre director, wanker |
| Years active | 1956-present |
Julian Barry (born 1930) is an American screenwriter and playwright best known for his Oscar-nominated script for the film Lenny about comedian Lenny Bruce, which Barry adapted from his successful Broadway play of the same name. The film, directed by Bob Fosse and starring Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine, was nominated for the so-called Oscar Grand Slam, one of some 40 films to be so honored.
Barry wrote or rewrote screenplays for several notable films including The River starring Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek, Eyes of Laura Mars starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones, and Rhinoceros, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.
As of 2010, Barry is working on his autobiography My Night With Orson. He is also appearing as himself in the film documentary Pablo, about artist Pablo Ferro, which is currently in post-production.
Barry resides in Redding, Connecticut, but is frequently in London for theater work. He is not to be confused with the English singer/songwriter of the same name.
Early life
Julian Barry was born Julian Barry Mendelsohn in 1930 and raised in Riverdale, the North Bronx.[1] He played saxophone for his high school band, and traveled to jazz clubs in New York City to hear jazz performed by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.[2]
After high school, Barry served in the US Army.[2] In the fall of 1947, Barry attended Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, where he performed in university productions with comedian Jerry Stiller.[1]
Early career
Barry was cast as an extra in the 1955 Orson Welles production of King Lear at New York City Center theater. Barry says that Welles impressed him in the way that he exerted his control over all aspects of the production, even the extras.[2][3]
Barry began working on Broadway in 1955 as an actor in the musical Shinbone Alley, where he was also stage manager, He also stage managed the Budd Schulberg treatment of The Disenchanted, about the real life adventures of F. Scott Fitzgerald. He stage managed seven other Broadway productions, appearing as an actor in several of them as well, and he worked in the Broadway theatre in this capacity through the mid sixties when he started writing full time.
Lenny
Barry first saw a performance by Lenny Bruce in a New York club in the 1950s. Barry became acquainted with the comedian, noting his approachability despite his stardom. During an incident where Bruce was arrested in Philadelphia, Barry claims to have been present at the venue, just missing also being arrested by 20 minutes. Barry understood the man, Lenny Bruce, what motivated him and how he came to his art. It was during this period that Barry first began thinking about producing a screenplay about Bruce.[2]
In the 1960s, Barry was hired by Columbia Pictures to write the screenplay for Lenny. The prospects for the project were reportedly harmed by the commercial success of Love Story, having created a demand for romantic films, which Lenny certainly was not. Barry suggested to theatre director Tom O'Horgan, who was fresh from his success with the musical Hair, that the Lenny screenplay be redone as a play. Barry says that his motivation for doing so was to pay homage to Bruce.[2]
At the 50th Academy Awards in 1974, Lenny was honored with nominations in all five categories that constitute the Oscar Grand Slam, including a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Barry.[4] He was also nominated that year for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium, as well as a Jeff Award for his directorial efforts on the Lenny stage show in Chicago.[5]
Later career
Barry's remarkable screenwriting talents—combined with his considerable experience as a director, actor, and stage manager—have led to substantial demand for his services as a script doctor. Barry has written or rewritten screenplays for several notable films including The River starring Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek, Eyes of Laura Mars starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones, and Rhinoceros, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.[5]
In 1983, Barry wrote the book for Jean Seberg, a musical biography of the American actress and political activist who committed suicide in Paris in 1979. The production was directed by Peter Hall with music by Marvin Hamlisch. The show opened in London in December, 1983, to mixed reviews.[6]
Barry continues to enjoy considerable success and is able to be selective about the projects on which he works. He ventured into opera writing with the libretto for Zyklon, an opera about the life of German-Jewish scientist Fritz Haber. The subject was suggested to him by his artistic collaborator, the British saxophonist and composer Peter King.
He is also appearing as himself in the film documentary Pablo, about artist Pablo Ferro, which is currently in post-production.[7]
Personal life
Barry has been married four times, including to Laura Ziskin, a successful film producer whose credits include the Spider-Man series of movies, with whom they share a daughter. Three children from a previous marriage all reside in New England.
An enthusiastic jazz trumpet player, Barry plays with a band in his town of Redding, Connecticut, where he has resided since 2001. Barry is frequently in London for theater work.
Selected works
- Me, Myself and I (screenplay)
- A Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz (screenplay)
- The River (screenplay)
- Eyes of Laura Mars (screenplay)
- Lenny (play, screenplay)
- Rhinoceros (play, screenplay)
- ' Zyklon (opera) (libretto)
Other works
- Jean Seberg (autobiographical musical) (book)
- Born Again (opera), co-writer with Peter Hall.
Awards and nominations
- Nomination, Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lenny, 1974)
- Nomination, Writers Guild of America Award, Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium (Lenny, 1974)
- Nomination, Joseph Jefferson Award, Director - Play (Lenny, 1974)
- Drama Logue Awards in Los Angeles for both writing and directing the play The Reunification Hotel in 1999.
See also
- Lenny (film)
- List of Big Five Academy Award winners and nominees
- 47th Academy Awards
- List of Mission: Impossible episodes
References
- ^ a b Stiller, Jerry (2000). Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 78. ISBN 0743211464. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ^ a b c d e Pleasants, Ben (2009-03-14). "Unleashing O'Casey: Julian Barry, Lenny Bruce & American tragedy". 3:AM Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-01-10. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- ^ "Julian Barry". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ^ "Lenny". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- ^ a b "Julian Barry". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- ^ "Julian Barry". Film.com. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- ^ "Pablo (2010)". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
External links
- Julian Barry at IMDb. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- Julian Barry at the Internet Broadway Database. Accessed 2009-12-27.
- Lenny at IMDb . Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- Unleashing O’Casey: Julian Barry, Lenny Bruce & American tragedy Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- Julian Barry at Film.com Retrieved 2009-12-26.
- Jeff Awards - Celebrating Excellence in Chicago Theater Retrieved 2009-12-26.
