Elia Kazan Biography

Born asElia Kazanjoglou
Occup.Director
FromUSA
BornSeptember 7, 1909
Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey)
DiedSeptember 28, 2003
New York City, New York, USA
CauseNatural causes
Aged94 years
Elia Kazan, born on September 7, 1909 in Constantinople, Footrest Empire (currently Istanbul, Turkey), as well as who died on September 28, 2003 in New York City, was a groundbreaking Turkish-American movie as well as stage director, producer, writer, and actor. Throughout his renowned profession, Kazan made significant contributions to the burgeoning movie sector of the United States in the 1940s, 1950s, and also 1960s. As a pioneer in the world of cinema and also theatre, Kazan directed several seriously well-known films as well as plays that have actually left a long-term imprint on American culture and also creative expression.

Kazan's family members was of Greek descent, and they immigrated to the United States when he was just four years of ages. Growing up in Harlem as well as later transferring to New Rochelle, New York, young Kazan was revealed to an abundant tapestry of American life, which would later on work as abundant ground for his imaginative expeditions. He went to Williams College and later examined remarkable arts at the distinguished Yale Institution of Dramatization.

Kazan's profession in the arts began in earnest when he co-founded the significant Group Theater in 1931, together with Harold Clurman as well as Cheryl Crawford. The Group Theater brought a new degree of realism and also emotional deepness to American phase productions, which aided to specify the era. In the 1940s, Kazan turned his talents towards guiding, making his Broadway launching with "The Skin of Our Teeth". This noted the start of his remarkable career in both theater as well as movie.

Elia Kazan got prevalent acclaim for his operate in the cinema, with his productions of "A Tram Called Desire" as well as "Death of a Salesperson" shaping the training course of American drama. His collaboration with dramatists Arthur Miller and also Tennessee Williams supplied an extensive series of experiences and styles to discover. Elia Kazan's work as a phase director made him a number of Tony Awards, as well as he further sealed his condition as a key figure in American theater when he co-founded the prestigious Cast Workshop in 1947 with Robert Lewis as well as Cheryl Crawford.

Along with his accomplishments in cinema, Kazan was similarly adept worldwide of cinema, routing countless films that amassed critical praise as well as pressed the limits of societal norms. He routed such standards as "A Tree Expands in Brooklyn", "Gent's Contract", "On the Waterside", and "East of Eden", the latter of which was James Dean's movie debut. Throughout his profession, Kazan routed numerous well-regarded stars, such as Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, as well as Natalie Timber, assisting to strengthen their heritages as motion picture greats.

Kazan's occupation took a questionable turn in 1952, when he testified prior to your home Un-American Activities Board (HUAC) during the height of the Red Scare. He named eight of his former Group Theatre colleagues as members of the Communist Event. His selection to "call names" developed a break within the movie and theater areas, and it continues to be a contentious aspect of his heritage.

Despite the conflicts that bordered him, Elia Kazan's effect on the world of cinema and film can not be overstated. With 2 Academy Honors, 5 Tony Awards, and also a lifetime achievement Oscar, Elia Kazan left an indelible mark on the arts that remains to inspire creatives as well as captivate audiences.

Our collection contains 55 quotes who is written / told by Elia.

Related authors: Arthur Miller (Playwright), Stella Adler (Actress), Cheryl Crawford (Actress), Lee Strasberg (Director), Marlon Brando (Actor), Warren Beatty (Actor), James Dean (Actor), Tennessee Williams (Dramatist), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

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55 Famous quotes by Elia Kazan

Small: I said to Tennessee, this thing is becoming the Marlon Brando show
"I said to Tennessee, this thing is becoming the Marlon Brando show"
Small: The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up
"The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up"
Small: The first thing you should do with an actor is not sign a contract with him. Take him to dinner. And ta
"The first thing you should do with an actor is not sign a contract with him. Take him to dinner. And take him for a walk afterwards"
Small: I was the true future. I understood Communism better than they did
"I was the true future. I understood Communism better than they did"
Small: I question the value of stars. I think theyre overrated. They get too much money, too much praise
"I question the value of stars. I think they're overrated. They get too much money, too much praise"
Small: Hey, you must be doin good, cause I never hear from you
"Hey, you must be doin' good, 'cause I never hear from you"
Small: You cant just sit there and do the lines. You have to do something revealing or unusual
"You can't just sit there and do the lines. You have to do something revealing or unusual"
Small: I would rather do what I did than crawl in front of a ritualistic Left and lie the way those other comr
"I would rather do what I did than crawl in front of a ritualistic Left and lie the way those other comrades did betray my own soul"
Small: I value peace when it is not bought at the price of fundamental decencies
"I value peace when it is not bought at the price of fundamental decencies"
Small: I like directors who come on the set and create something thats a little dangerous, difficult or unusua
"I like directors who come on the set and create something that's a little dangerous, difficult or unusual"
Small: When you know what an actor has, you can reach in and arouse it. If you dont know what he has, you dont
"When you know what an actor has, you can reach in and arouse it. If you don't know what he has, you don't know what the hell is going on"
Small: There is only one thing I respect in so-called Broadway actors... and that is their competitive sense
"There is only one thing I respect in so-called Broadway actors... and that is their competitive sense"
Small: The belief that the good in American society will finally win out... I dont believe any more
"The belief that the good in American society will finally win out... I don't believe any more"
Small: I was even superior to the Communists and when they didnt go along with me, I quit them
"I was even superior to the Communists and when they didn't go along with me, I quit them"
Small: I used to spend most of my time straining to be a nice guy so people would like me
"I used to spend most of my time straining to be a nice guy so people would like me"
Small: I dont remember anything anybody said in any Jack Ford picture. Nothing happens except action
"I don't remember anything anybody said in any Jack Ford picture. Nothing happens except action"
Small: Acting... was the biggest charge I ever had. What other artist has it so good? Approval so quick?
"Acting... was the biggest charge I ever had. What other artist has it so good? Approval so quick?"
Small: Youve got to keep fighting - youve got to risk your life every six months to stay alive
"You've got to keep fighting - you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive"
Small: The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep
"The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep"
Small: The Communists automatically violated the daily practices of democracy to which I was accustomed
"The Communists automatically violated the daily practices of democracy to which I was accustomed"
Small: I gave my life to the Group Theatre, because in it Im building something for myself. What I build, I am
"I gave my life to the Group Theatre, because in it I'm building something for myself. What I build, I am"
Small: A film director has to get a shot, no matter what he does. Were desperate people
"A film director has to get a shot, no matter what he does. We're desperate people"
Small: You have to remind people of their own struggles. Its a responsibility
"You have to remind people of their own struggles. It's a responsibility"
Small: Our relationship was cursed by the fact that we agreed on everything
"Our relationship was cursed by the fact that we agreed on everything"
Small: Miller didnt write Death of a Salesman. He released it. It was there inside him, waiting to be turned l
"Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman. He released it. It was there inside him, waiting to be turned loose. That's the measure of its merit"
Small: Im small, but Im neither compliant nor agreeable
"I'm small, but I'm neither compliant nor agreeable"
Small: I was not a collective person or a bohemian I was an elitist
"I was not a collective person or a bohemian; I was an elitist"
Small: I think there should be collaboration, but under my thumb
"I think there should be collaboration, but under my thumb"
Small: I knew the exuberance of playing before an admiring audience and hearing my secret voice
"I knew the exuberance of playing before an admiring audience and hearing my secret voice"
Small: I have no spy stories to tell, because I saw no spies. Nor did I understand, at that time, any oppositi
"I have no spy stories to tell, because I saw no spies. Nor did I understand, at that time, any opposition between American and Russian national interest"
Small: Anybody who informs on other people is doing something disturbing and even disgusting
"Anybody who informs on other people is doing something disturbing and even disgusting"
Small: Whats called a difficult decision is a difficult decision because either way you go there are penalties
"What's called a difficult decision is a difficult decision because either way you go there are penalties"
Small: Stylized acting and direction is to realistic acting and direction as poetry is to prose
"Stylized acting and direction is to realistic acting and direction as poetry is to prose"
Small: I wouldnt go up on a stage now if you paid a thousand dollars for one minute of acting. Its a nasty exp
"I wouldn't go up on a stage now if you paid a thousand dollars for one minute of acting. It's a nasty experience. You're up there all by yourself. You're so damn exposed"
Small: I was an outsider... but I was also sympathetic with people that were struggling to get up, because I s
"I was an outsider... but I was also sympathetic with people that were struggling to get up, because I struggled to get up"
Small: I hate the Communists and have for many years and dont feel right about giving up my career to defend t
"I hate the Communists and have for many years and don't feel right about giving up my career to defend them. I will give up my film career if it is in the interests of defending something I believe in, but not this"
Small: I didnt have that much confidence. Maybe it looks that way. Im glad it does
"I didn't have that much confidence. Maybe it looks that way. I'm glad it does"
Small: For years after I resigned, I was still faithful to their way of thinking. But not in the American Comm
"For years after I resigned, I was still faithful to their way of thinking. But not in the American Communists"
Small: Every picture that is successful has one little miracle in it
"Every picture that is successful has one little miracle in it"
Small: Every fighter has one fight that makes or breaks him
"Every fighter has one fight that makes or breaks him"
Small: Whatever hysteria exists is inflamed by mystery, suspicion and secrecy. Hard and exact facts will cool
"Whatever hysteria exists is inflamed by mystery, suspicion and secrecy. Hard and exact facts will cool it"
Small: Ive lost many of my best friends... Im going to satisfy myself now, not the critics, not even my friend
"I've lost many of my best friends... I'm going to satisfy myself now, not the critics, not even my friends"
Small: I was both very successful and very left the living demonstration of how you could be on the left and s
"I was both very successful and very left; the living demonstration of how you could be on the left and still be in the gossip columns and be envied for the money you made"
Small: I was always a self-conscious person
"I was always a self-conscious person"
Small: I want to thank the Academy for its courage and generosity
"I want to thank the Academy for its courage and generosity"
Small: I truly believe that all power corrupts. Such is probably the thinking behind every political film ever
"I truly believe that all power corrupts. Such is probably the thinking behind every political film ever made in Hollywood"
Small: I spoke without fear of contradiction. I simply did not suffer self-doubt
"I spoke without fear of contradiction. I simply did not suffer self-doubt"
Small: I owe Bankhead a gift she made a director out of me
"I owe Bankhead a gift; she made a director out of me"
Small: I may be getting old, but not foolish
"I may be getting old, but not foolish"
Small: I joined the Communist Party late in 1934. I got out a year and a half later
"I joined the Communist Party late in 1934. I got out a year and a half later"
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