Ira Levin

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Ira Levin
Born August 27, 1929(1929-08-27)
The Bronx, New York City,
New York, United States
Died November 12, 2007 (aged 78)
Manhattan, New York City,
New York, United States
Nationality American
Writing period 1953–1997

Ira Levin (August 27, 1929 – November 12, 2007)[1] was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter.

Contents

[edit] Professional life

Levin graduated from the Horace Mann School and New York University, where he majored in philosophy and English.

After college, he wrote training films and scripts for television. The first of these was Leda’s Portrait, for Lights Out in 1951.

Levin's first produced play was No Time for Sergeants (adapted from Mac Hyman's novel), a comedy about a hillbilly drafted into the United States Air Force that launched the career of Andy Griffith. The play was turned into a movie in 1958, and co-starred Don Knotts, Griffith's long-time co-star and friend. No Time for Sergeants is generally considered the precursor to Gomer Pyle, USMC.[citation needed]

Levin's first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, was well received, earning him the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. A Kiss Before Dying was turned into a movie twice, first in 1956, and again in 1991.

Levin's best-known play is Deathtrap, which holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway and brought Levin his second Edgar Award. In 1982, it was made into a film starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine.

Levin's best-known novel is Rosemary's Baby, a horror story of modern day Satanism and other occultisms, set in Manhattan's Upper West Side. In 1968, it was made into a film starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance. Roman Polanski, who wrote and directed the film, was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Other Levin novels were turned into movies, including The Boys from Brazil in 1978; The Stepford Wives in 1975 and again in 2004; and Sliver in 1993. Currently a new version of The Boys from Brazil is in development for 2009.

Stephen King has described Ira Levin as "the Swiss watchmaker of suspense novels, he makes what the rest of us do look like cheap watchmakers in drugstores." Chuck Palahniuk, in Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories, calls Levin's writing "a smart, updated version of the kind of folksy legends that cultures have always used."

[edit] Personal life

Levin was married and divorced twice, and had three sons and three grandsons[2].

[edit] Death

Ira Levin died in Manhattan from a heart attack on November 12, 2007.[3]

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Novels

[edit] Plays

[edit] Musicals

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ira Levin, of ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ Dies at 78. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
  2. ^ `Rosemary's Baby' Author Dies. Associated Press. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  3. ^ Ira Levin, author of chilling novels, dies at 78. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.