BIO

Elia Kazan was born Elias Kazanjoglou in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1909.   His father was a rug merchant who immigrated with his family to the United States in 1913.   Kazan was raised in New York City.   A bright student, Kazan graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts before getting a Master’s Degree in Drama at Yale University.

He started out as an actor making his Broadway debut in 1932 at the age of 23.

Kazan appeared in his first film in 1934 at the age of 25.   However, he soon directed his first film, a short subject, released in 1937.

By 1938, Kazan had staged his first Broadway production and by 1942 had left acting to stage and produce plays exclusively.

He was awarded three Best Director Tony Awards for All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), and J.B. (1959).   He also received another 5 Tony nominations for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1956), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1958) (Best Director and Best Play), Sweet Bird of Youth (1960), and Tartuffe (1965).

Kazan was involved in the performing or production of 51 Broadway productions over a career spanning 70 years.

He directed his first feature film for 20th Century-Fox in 1945, at the age of 36.   Kazan was awarded two Best Director Academy Awards for his work in Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) and On The Waterfront (1954).   He received another six Oscar nominations for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), East Of Eden (1955), and America, America (1963) (for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay).

He directed his last film in 1976.

In the late 1940s, Kazan was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about his brief Communist Party affiliation during the mid 1930s.   He was forced to name names, destroying the careers of several actors and producers.   Later, Kazan found himself to be a pariah in Hollywood – hated by the left for ratting on his friends and acquaintances and despised by the right for his past communist membership.

Kazan received an Honorary Oscar for his contribution to film in 1999, although there were many protesters outside and many in the audience refused to applaud.

Kazan married three times:

1. Molly Thatcher, actress, 1932-1963, four children, widowed.   One son is the screenwriter Nicholas Kazan.
2. Barbara Loden, actress, 1967-1980, two children, widowed;
3. Frances Rudge, 1982-2003.

He died in New York City, in 2003, at the age of 94.

Additional Broadway stage history is available at:

Additional biographical information is available at:

NOTED FILMS