A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The word ''pawn'' is derived from the Latin ''pignus'', for pledge, and the items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ''pawns'', or simply the collateral.

If an item is pawned for a loan, within a certain contractual period of time the pawner may purchase it back for the amount of the loan plus some agreed-upon amount for interest. The amount of time, and rate of interest, is governed by law or by the pawnbroker's policies. If the loan is not paid (or extended, if applicable) within the time period, the pawned item will be offered for sale by the pawnbroker/secondhand dealer. Unlike other lenders, the pawnbroker does not report the defaulted loan on the customer's credit report, since the pawnbroker has physical possession of the item and may recoup the loan value through outright sale of the item. The pawnbroker/secondhand dealer also sells items that have been sold outright by customers to the pawnbroker or secondhand dealer.

Business model

Assessment of items

The pawning process begins when a customer brings an item into a pawn shop. Common items pawned (or, in some instances, sold outright) by customers include jewelry, electronics, musical instruments, and tools (both hand tools and power tools). In some of the United States, pawnshops with firearms licenses sell pistols and rifles to customers who meet state and federal acquisition criteria. In other states and other countries, though, such as Canada and the UK, pawnshops do not sell firearms. Gold, silver, and platinum are popular items which are often purchased; even if the source (such as a piece of broken jewelry) has little value, the metals can still be sold in bulk to a bullion dealer or smelter for the value of the gold, silver, or platinum content. Similarly, with jewelry that contains genuine gemstones, even if the jewelry is broken or missing pieces, the jewels may have value in their own right because they can be reset into a new item of jewelry.

The pawnbroker assumes the risk that an item purchased was actually stolen property. However, laws exist in many jurisdictions that protect both the community at large and the brokers from unknowingly engaging in criminal activity (buying and selling stolen goods, also known as "fencing"). These laws often require the pawnbroker to establish positive identification of the seller through photo identification (such as a driver's license or government-issued identity document), as well as a holding period placed on an item purchased by a pawnbroker (to allow for local law enforcement authorities to track down stolen items). In some jurisdictions, pawnshops must give a list of all newly pawned items and any associated serial number to police, to allow the police to determine if any of the items have been reported as stolen. Many police departments will advise burglary or robbery victims to visit local pawnshops to see if they can locate stolen items which might have been pawned or sold to the pawnbroker. Some pawnshops set up their own screening criteria to avoid buying stolen property.

The pawnbroker assesses an item for its condition and marketability by testing the item (in the case of electronics or instruments) and examining it for flaws, scratches or other damage. Another aspect that affects marketability is the supply and demand for the item in the community or region. In some markets, the used goods market is so flooded with used stereos and car stereos, for example, that pawnshops will only accept the higher-quality brand names. Alternatively, a customer may offer to pawn an item which will be difficult to sell, such as a surfboard in an inland region or a pair of snowshoes in tropical or sub-tropical regions. The pawnshop owner will either turn down hard-to-sell items or offer a very low amount of money for these items. While some items will never get outdated, such as hammers and hand saws, electronics and computer items can quickly get out of date and become unsalable. As such, pawnshop owners have to learn about the different makes and models of computers, software and other electronic equipment, so that they can discern between items which are still salable, and those which are obsolete.

To assess the value of different items, pawnbrokers use guidebooks ("Blue Books"), catalogs, Internet search engines, and their own experience to subjectively evaluate the goods. Some pawnbrokers have training in the identification of gems, or they employ a specialist with gem training to assess jewelry. One of the risks when accepting secondhand goods is that the item may be counterfeit. If the item is counterfeit, such as a fake Rolex watch, it may have only a fraction of the value of the genuine item. Once the pawnbroker has determined that the item is genuine and not likely to have been stolen, and that it is marketable, the pawnbroker offers the customer an amount for it. The customer can either sell the item outright if (as in most cases) the pawnbroker is also a licensed secondhand dealer, or offer the item as collateral.

Determining amount of loan

To determine the amount of the loan, the pawnshop owner needs to take into account several factors. One factor is the predicted resale value of the item. This is often thought of in terms of a range, with the low point being the wholesale value of the used good, in the case that the pawnshop is unable to sell it, and they decide to sell it to a wholesale merchant of used goods. The higher point in the range is the retail sale price in the pawnshop. For example, a five-year-old 42" Sony TV may have been bought by the customer for $1000. However, as a used item in a pawnshop, it will only fetch $250 and $300, because the customers will be wary that it might be a "lemon" that the seller is getting rid of because it has some hard-to-detect problem. Used electronics wholesalers will buy the TV for $100 to $150. The wholesaler pays a lower price than the retail value because they have the added cost of hiring electronics technicians who overhaul and repair the items so that they can be sold in used electronics stores.

The pawnshop owner takes into account their knowledge of supply and demand for the item in question to determine if they think that they will end up selling the TV for $100 to a wholesaler or $300 to a pawnshop customer. If the pawnshop owner believes that there are "too many used TVs around these days in town", they may fear that they will only get $100 for the TV if they have to unload it to a wholesaler. With that figure in mind as the expected revenue, the pawnshop owner has to factor in the overhead costs of the store (rent, heat, electricity, phone connection, yellow pages ad, website costs, staff costs, insurance, alarm system, etc.), and a profit for the business. As such, the customer who comes in with this TV that they paid $1000 for when it was new may be offered as little as $50 by the pawnshop owner, who is taking into account all of the risk and cost factors.

In determining the amount of the loan, the pawnshop owner also assesses the likelihood that the customer will pay the interest for several weeks or months and then return to repay the loan and reclaim the item. Since the key to the pawnshop business model is making interest off of the loaned money, pawnshop owners want to accept items that the customer is likely to want to recover, after having paid interest for a period on the loan. If, in an extreme case, a pawnshop only accepted items that customers had no interest in ever reclaiming, it would not make any money from interest, and the store would in effect become a second hand dealer.

Determining if the customer is likely to return to reclaim an item is a subjective decision, and wily customers may attempt to persuade the pawnshop owner that the item in question is important to them ("that watch belonged to my grandfather, so I will certainly return for it"), and they will claim that they will return to recover it. The pawnshop owner can use a variety of factors to evaluate the likelihood that the customer will return, such as whether the customer lives in the neighborhood or whether the customer has a good track record of returning to the pawnshop to recover items. Some customers may return several times over a year and pawn the same valuable item as a way of borrowing money, and they return each month to pay the interest and recover the item.

As well, the pawnshop owner can assess the item and the pawner; if a non-disabled twenty year-old male comes into the pawnshop to pawn an electric wheelchair (perhaps the possession of his late grandfather), the pawnshop owner may doubt the man's claims that he will return for the wheelchair. On the other hand, if a middle aged man pawns a top quality set of golf clubs, the pawnshop owner may assess it as more credible that he will return for the items. The saleability of the item and the amount that the customer wants for it are also factored into the pawnbroker's assessment; if a customer offers a very salable item at a low price, the pawnbroker may accept it even if it is unlikely that the customer will return, because the pawnshop can turn around a quick profit on the item. If a customer offers a top quality, brand-name valuable at too low a price the pawnbroker may turn down the offer, because this suggests that the item may either be counterfeit or stolen.

Inventory management

Pawnshops have to be careful to manage how many new items they accept as pawns: either too little inventory or too much is bad. A pawnshop might have too little inventory if, for example, it mostly buys jewels and gold which are then reset and smelted, or perhaps the pawnshop owner quickly sells most of the items using specialty shops (e.g., musical instruments are sold to used music stores and stereos are sold to used hi-fi audio stores). In this case, the pawnshop will not be very interesting to customers, because it will be a mostly empty store with bare shelves and counters. Customers walking by a near-empty store will be less likely to be intrigued by the merchandise and come into the store.

On the other extreme, if a pawnshop has a huge amount of inventory, there can be several disadvantages. If the store is crammed with used athletic gear, old stereos, and old tools, the store owner has to spend more time and money shelving and sorting the items, displaying them on different stands or in glass cases, and monitoring customers to prevent shoplifting. If there are too many low-value, poor quality items, such as old toasters, scratched-up 20 year-old TVs, and worn-out sports gear piled into cardboard boxes, the store may begin looking more like a low-end rummage sale or flea market. Small, high-value items such as iPod players or cell phones need to be put in locked glass display cases, which means that the owner may need additional staff to unlock the cabinets and get out items that customers want to examine. As a store becomes more and more filled with items, an owner has to take more steps to protect inventory from theft by hiring staff to supervise the different parts of the store and/or by installing security cameras or alarms. The biggest problem with accumulating too much unsold inventory, though, is that this means that the store has not been able to pull out the value of these items by reselling them, which provides the store with cash that can be loaned out to borrowers.

As such, the better option lies in the middle of the continuum. A store that has a moderate amount of good quality, brand-name items arranged neatly in the display windows attracts passersby, who are more likely to come in to peruse the items for sale. If the items are attractively laid out in display cases and shelves in an uncluttered fashion, the pawnshop has a more professional, reputable appearance. Once passersby start coming to the store to look at items, they may decide to bring unwanted items to the pawnshop for loans on subsequent visits. Some pawnshop owners prevent their store from developing a cluttered look by keeping some of the less attractive items such as snow tires, or items which are overstocked (e.g., if there are too many stereos) in a storage facility in the basement. Another approach used by some pawnshop companies is to operate a number of stores in a state or province. This way, the inventory can be moved between affiliated stores so that each store has a balanced inventory. For example, if a rural location of a pawnshop accumulates too much hunting and fishing gear, some of the overstock can be transferred to a suburban location.

Some stores also slim down their inventory by selling some items to specialty used gear retailers. For example, if a pawnshop in a low-income neighborhood pays a customer $300 for a power amplifier that has a used retail value of about $2000, this stereo device may be hard to sell in the pawnshop, given that most of the stereos sell for a fraction of this price. However, a high-end used audio store in a well-to-do neighborhood might be able to sell it for $2000, so the pawnshop owner may decide to sell the amplifier to the audio shop for $1000, thus netting $700. Some pawnshops may sell specialty items on eBay or other websites. A specialty item such as a high-end model railroad set with a retail value of $1000 may not sell in the store, or it would only sell for a deep discount. However, if it is put up for sale on eBay or a similar website, a model train enthusiast 1000 miles away may decide to purchase the item and have it shipped to them.

Auxiliary operations

While the main business activities of a pawnshop are lending money for interest based on valuable items that customers bring in, some pawnshops also undertake other business activities, such as selling brand-new retail items that are in demand in the neighborhood of the store. Depending on where a pawnshop is located, these other retail items may range from guitar and musical instruments to firearms. Some pawnbrokers also sell brand-new self defense items such as pepper spray or stun guns. Many pawnshops will also trade used items, as long as the transaction turns a profit for pawn shop. In cases where the pawnshop buys items outright, the money is not a loan; it is a straight payment for the item. Some pawnshops may keep a few unusual, high value items on display to capture the interests of passersby, such as a vintage Harley Davidson motorcycle; the owner is not typically expecting to sell these items. Other activities carried out by pawnshops are financial services including fee-based check cashing, payday loans, vehicle title or house title loans, and currency exchange services.

History

In the west, pawnbroking existed in the Ancient Greek and Roman Empires. Most contemporary Western law on the subject is derived from the Roman jurisprudence. As the empire spread its culture, pawnbroking went with it. Likewise, in the East, the business model existed in China 3000 years ago no different than today, through the ages strictly regulated by Imperial or other authorities.

In spite of early Roman Catholic Church prohibitions against charging interest on loans, there is some evidence that the Franciscans were permitted to begin the practice as an aid to the poor. Pawnbrokerage arrived in England with William the Conqueror, but known by the Italian name, ''Lombard''. In 1338, Edward III pawned his jewels to raise money for his war with France. King Henry V did much the same in 1415. The Lombards were not a popular class, and Henry VII harried them a good deal. In the very first year of James I Stuart an ''Act against Brokers'' was passed and remained on the statute-book until Queen Victoria had been on the throne thirty-five years. It was aimed at the many counterfeit brokers in London. This type of broker was evidently regarded as a fence. It is also known that Queen Isabella of Spain pawned her jewelry in order to send Christopher Columbus out to what he believed was the Indies.

A pawnbroker can also be a charity. The Monte di Pietà movement was begun in Perugia, Italy, in 1450 by Barnaba Manassei, a Franciscan monk. It had the aim of providing financial assistance to people in the form of no-interest loans, secured with pawned items. Instead of interest, borrowers were urged to make donations to the Church. It spread first through Italy then in other parts of Europe. The first Monte de Piedad organization in Spain was founded in Madrid, and from there the idea was transferred to New Spain by Pedro Romero de Terreros, the Count of Santa Maria de Regla and Knight of Calatrava. The Nacional Monte de Piedad is a charitable institution and pawn shop whose main office is located just off the Zocalo, or main plaza of Mexico City. It was established between 1774 and 1777 by Pedro Romero de Terreros as part of a movement to provide interest-free or low-interest loans to the poor. It was recognized as a national charity in 1927 by the Mexican government. Today it is a fast-growing institution with over 152 branches all over Mexico and with plans to open a branch in every Mexican city.

The economic downturn of 2008 saw the advent of the online pawnbrokers.

Symbol

The pawnbrokers' symbol is three spheres suspended from a bar. The three sphere symbol is attributed to the Medici family of Florence, Italy, owing to its symbolic meaning of Lombard. This refers to the Italian province of Lombardy, where pawn shop banking originated under the name of Lombard banking. The three golden spheres were originally the symbol which medieval Lombard merchants hung in front of their houses, and not the arms of the Medici family. It has been conjectured that the golden spheres were originally three flat yellow effigies of byzants, or gold coins, laid heraldically upon a sable field, but that they were converted into spheres to better attract attention.

Most European towns called the pawn shop the "Lombard". The House of Lombard was a banking family in medieval London, England. According to legend, a Medici employed by Charlemagne slew a giant using three bags of rocks. The three ball symbol became the family crest. Since the Medicis were so successful in the financial, banking, and moneylending industries, other families also adopted the symbol. Throughout the Middle Ages, coats of arms bore three balls, orbs, plates, discs, coins and more as symbols of monetary success. Pawnbrokers (and their detractors) joke that the three balls mean "Two to one, you won't get your stuff back".

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of pawnbrokers. The symbol has also been attributed to the story of Nicholas giving a poor man's three daughters each a bag of gold so they could get married.

In Asia

[[File:Hong Kong Pawn Shop Logo.jpg|float|right|thumb|225px|A typical Hong Kong pawn shop sign: a bat holding a coin.]]

In Hong Kong the practice follows the Chinese tradition, and the counter of the shop is typically higher than the average person for security. A customer can only hold up his hand to offer belongings and there is a wooden screen between the door and the counter for customers' privacy. The symbol of a pawn shop in Hong Kong is a bat (the animal) holding a coin (, Cantonese: ''fūk syú diu gām chín''). The bat signifies fortune and the coin signifies benefits. In Japan, the usual symbol for a pawn shop is a circled digit seven, as "shichi", the Japanese word for seven, sounds similar to the word for "pawn" ().

In India, the Marwari Jain community pioneered the pawnbroking business, but today others are involved; the work is done by many agents called "saudagar". Instead of working from a shop, they go to needy people's homes and motivate them to become involved in the business. Pawn shops are often run as part of jewelry stores. Gold, silver, and diamonds are frequently accepted as collateral. Pawnbroking is also a traditional trade in Thailand, where pawnshops are run both privately and by local governments.

Popular culture

''Pawn Stars'', an American reality television series (2009) appearing on the History Channel, chronicles the daily activities at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. A similar show, ''Hardcore Pawn'', premiered on TruTV in August 2010, concerning American Jewelry and Loan in Detroit, Michigan.

See also

Consignment shop

Lombard banking

''Wilson v First County Trust Ltd (No 2)'' [2003] UKHL 40, [2004] 1 AC 816

In April 2011, the VOA Special English service of the Voice of America broadcast a 15-minute program on Pawnbrokers. A transcript and MP3 of the program, intended for English learners, can be found at Inside the World of Pawn Shops

References

Category:Retailing Category:History of banking Category:Retail financial services

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birth date	April 14, 1925
birth place	Westhampton, New York, U.S.
death date	July 09, 2002
death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
birth name	Rodney Stephen Steiger
occupation	Actor
years active	1950–2002
spouse	Sally Gracie (1952–58)Claire Bloom (1959–69)Sherry Nelson (1973–79)Paula Ellis (1986–97)Joan Benedict (2000–02)
children	Claudia MyhersAnna SteigerMichael Steiger }}

Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger (April 14, 1925July 9, 2002) was an American actor known for his performances in such films as ''In the Heat of the Night'', ''Oklahoma!'', ''Waterloo'', ''The Pawnbroker'', ''On the Waterfront'', ''The Harder They Fall'', ''Doctor Zhivago'', and ''Jesus of Nazareth''.

Early life

Steiger was born in Westhampton, New York, the son of Lorraine (née Driver) and Frederick Steiger, of French, Scottish, and German descent. Steiger was raised as a Lutheran. He never knew his father, a vaudevillian who had been part of a traveling song-and-dance team with Steiger's mother (who subsequently left show business). Steiger grew up with his alcoholic mother before running away from home at age sixteen to join the United States Navy during World War II, where he saw action on destroyers in the Pacific. After the war, he returned to New Jersey and joined a drama group, before studying drama full-time under Stella Adler at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York, maintained by the influential German director Erwin Piscator.

Career

Steiger appeared in over 100 motion pictures. He began his acting career in theatre and on live television in the early 1950s. On May 24, 1953, an episode of ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' jump-started his career. The episode was the story of ''Marty'' written by Paddy Chayefsky. ''Marty'' is the story of a lonely homely butcher from the Bronx in search of love. Refusing to sign a seven-year studio contract, Steiger later turned down the role in the film version in 1955. Signing a studio contract at that time would "pigeon-hole" Steiger as to the roles he would later play and image portrayed on screen; those were two things Steiger objected to throughout his career. The role of Marty was turned over to Ernest Borgnine. Borgnine would receive the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Rod Steiger never regretted his decision to turn down the film role of Marty.

He won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Chief of Police Bill Gillespie in ''In the Heat of the Night'' (1967) opposite Sidney Poitier. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for ''On the Waterfront'' (1954), in which he played Marlon Brando's character's brother. He was nominated again, this time for Best Actor, for the gritty ''The Pawnbroker'' (1965), a Sidney Lumet film in which Steiger portrays an emotionally withdrawn Holocaust survivor living in New York City.

He played Jud Fry in the film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Oklahoma!'', in which he did his own singing. One of his favorite roles was as Komarovsky in ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965). Steiger, the only American in the cast of that film, was initially apprehensive about working with such great British actors as Ralph Richardson and Alec Guinness and was afraid that he would stick out, but he won acclaim for his performance. He also befriended fellow actor Tom Courtenay on this film; the two remained friends until Steiger's death.

He also appeared in ''The Big Knife'' as an overly aggressive film studio boss who berates film star Jack Palance; as Al Capone in ''Al Capone'' (1959); as Mr. Joyboy in ''The Loved One''; as the serial killer in ''No Way to Treat a Lady''; and as a repressed gay NCO in ''The Sergeant'' (1968).

He also played well-known figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte in ''Waterloo'' (1970); Benito Mussolini in ''The Last Four Days'' (1974) and again in ''Lion of the Desert'' (1981); W. C. Fields in ''W. C. Fields and Me'' (1976); Pontius Pilate in Franco Zeffirelli's TV miniseries ''Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977); and mob boss Sam Giancana in the TV miniseries, ''Sinatra'' (1992). He appeared in several Italian films, including ''Hands Over the City'' (1963) and ''Lucky Luciano'' (1974) (both Francesco Rosi's), and also Sergio Leone's ''A Fistful of Dynamite'' (1971). In France, he starred in Claude Chabrol's ''Innocents with Dirty Hands'' opposite Romy Schneider.

In his later years he appeared in ''The Amityville Horror'' (1979); ''The Specialist'' (1994), and ''Mars Attacks!''. On television, he appeared in the miniseries ''Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives'' (1985), Armistead Maupin's ''Tales of the City'' (1993), and a 1995 ''Columbo'' television film. Among his final roles was the judge in the prison drama, ''The Hurricane'' (1999). The film reunited him with director Norman Jewison, who had directed him in ''In the Heat of the Night''. His last film was ''A Month of Sundays''.

Steiger also starred in the film version of Kurt Vonnegut's play ''Happy Birthday, Wanda June'' (1971). In 1969, he appeared in the film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's ''The Illustrated Man'' with his then-wife, Claire Bloom. He was offered the title role in ''Patton'', but turned it down because he did not want to glorify war. The role was then given to George C. Scott, who won a Best Actor Oscar. Steiger called this refusal his ''"dumbest career move"''.

Steiger has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal life

Steiger was married five times: actress Sally Gracie (married 1952, divorced 1958), actress Claire Bloom (married 1959, divorced 1969), Sherry Nelson (married 1973, divorced 1979), Paula Ellis (married 1986, divorced 1997), and actress Joan Benedict Steiger (married 2000 until his death). Steiger and Bloom appeared in two films together, both in 1969, ''The Illustrated Man'' and ''Three Into Two Won't Go''.

He had two daughters, Claudia Myhers (born in 1954) and opera singer Anna Steiger (born in 1960) by Bloom, and a son, Michael Steiger (1993), from his marriage to Ellis. He had two grandchildren, Hanna Rose and Ashley Victoria.

Health

After undergoing triple heart bypass surgery in 1976, Steiger reportedly fell into a serious depression for eight years. Steiger gave an emotional account of his struggle with depression on an episode of ''Larry King Live''.

Death

Steiger died in Los Angeles on July 9, 2002, aged 77, from pneumonia and complications from surgery for a gall bladder tumor. He is buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

The film, ''Saving Shiloh'', released in 2006, was dedicated to his memory.

Linkability

According to research at the University of Virginia, using the Internet Movie Database as a guide, Steiger was the best-linked actor in Hollywood history, if one can link two actors if they have ever appeared in a film together. The average "Steiger number" of a film actor, meaning the number of links it takes to get from that actor to Steiger, is 2.679. By contrast, the average "Bacon number", the number of links it takes to reach Kevin Bacon (whose linkability is much more famous), is 2.955. Steiger, incidentally, has a Bacon number of 2. ''See:'' Small world phenomenon.

Filmography

''Teresa'' (1951)

''On the Waterfront'' (1954)

''Justice'' (NBC, 1954)

''Oklahoma!'' (1955)

''The Big Knife'' (1955)

''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' (1955)

''Jubal'' (1956)

''The Harder They Fall'' (1956)

''Back from Eternity'' (1956)

''The Unholy Wife'' (1957)

''Run of the Arrow'' (1957)

''Across the Bridge'' (1957)

''Cry Terror!'' (1958)

''Al Capone'' (1959)

''Seven Thieves'' (1960)

''The World in My Pocket'' (1961)

''The Mark'' (1961)

''13 West Street'' (1962)

''Convicts 4'' (1962)

''The Longest Day'' (1962)

''Hands Over the City'' (1963)

''Time of Indifference'' (1964)

''The Pawnbroker'' (1964)

''A Man Named John'' (1965)

''The Loved One'' (1965)

''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965)

''In the Heat of the Night'' (1967)

''The Girl and the General'' (1967)

''No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968)

''The Sergeant'' (1968)

''The Illustrated Man'' (1969)

''Three Into Two Won't Go'' (1969)

''Waterloo'' (1970)

''A Fistful of Dynamite'' (1971)

''Happy Birthday, Wanda June'' (1971)

''The Moviemakers'' (1973) (short subject)

''Lolly-Madonna XXX'' (1973)

''The Heroes'' (1973)

''Mussolini: The Last Four Days'' (1974)

''Lucky Luciano'' (1974)

''Innocents with Dirty Hands'' (1975)

''Hennessy'' (1975)

''W.C. Fields and Me'' (1976)

''Portrait of a Hitman'' (1977)

''Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977)

''F.I.S.T.'' (1978)

''Breakthrough'' (1979)

''The Amityville Horror'' (1979)

''Love and Bullets'' (1979)

''Klondike Fever'' (1980)

''The Lucky Star'' (1980)

''Lion of the Desert'' (1981)

''Cattle Annie and Little Britches'' (1981)

''The Chosen'' (1981)

''The Magic Mountain'' (1982)

''The Naked Face'' (1984)

''Sword of Gideon'' (1986)

''Catch the Heat'' (1987)

''The Kindred'' (1986)

''American Gothic'' (1988)

''The Exiles'' (1989) (documentary) (narrator)

''That Summer of White Roses'' (1989)

''The January Man'' (1989)

''Tennessee Nights'' (1989)

''Try This One for Size'' (1989)

''In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas'' (1991)

''Men of Respect'' (1991)

''The Ballad of the Sad Cafe'' (1991)

''Guilty as Charged'' (1991)

''The Player'' (1992) (Cameo)

''Sinatra'' (1992) (as Sam Giancana)

''The Neighbor'' (1993)

''Living on Borrowed Time'' (1993)

''Tales of the City'' (1993) (Cameo)

''The Last Tattoo'' (1994)

''The Specialist'' (1994)

''Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys'' (1995)

''Seven Sundays'' (1995)

''In Pursuit of Honor'' (1995)

''Carpool'' (1996)

''Shiloh'' (1996)

''Mars Attacks!'' (1996)

''The Kid'' (1997)

''Truth or Consequences, N.M.'' (1997)

''Livers Ain't Cheap'' (1997)

''Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's'' (1997) (documentary)

''Incognito'' (1997)

''The Snatching of Bookie Bob'' (1998) (short subject)

''Body and Soul'' (1998)

''Alexandria Hotel'' (1998)

''Animals and the Tollkeeper'' (1998)

''Modern Vampires'' (1998)

''Legacy'' (1998)

''Cypress Edge'' (1999)

''Crazy in Alabama'' (1999)

''Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season'' (1999)

''The Hurricane'' (1999)

''End of Days'' (1999)

''Moby Dick'' (1999) (animated short subject)

''The Last Producer'' (2000)

''Lightmaker'' (2001)

''The Flying Dutchman'' (2001)

''A Month of Sundays'' (2001)

''The Hollywood Sign'' (2001)

''Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World'' (2001) (documentary)

''The Gangster Hit (2001) to (2003) as Big Frank (television film)

''Poolhall Junkies'' (2002)

References

External links

accessdate=2008-03-28}}

He Blowed Up Real Good (TCM Movie Morlocks on Rod Steiger in Hennessy)

Rod Steiger on BBC Radio Desert Island Discs

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name	Sidney Lumet
birth date	June 25, 1924
birth place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
death date	April 09, 2011
death place	New York City, New York, US
death cause	Lymphoma
nationality	American
alma mater	Columbia University
years active	1939–2007
occupation	Director, producer, screenwriter, actor
residence	Manhattan, New York, US
spouse	Rita Gam(m. 1949–1955, divorced)Gloria Vanderbilt(m. 1956–1963, divorced)Gail Jones(m. 1963–1978, divorced)Mary Gimbel(m. 1980–2011, his death)
parents	Baruch LumetEugenia Wermus
children	Amy, Jenny }}

Sidney Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 April 9, 2011) was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his name. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976) and ''The Verdict'' (1982). He did not win an individual Academy Award, although he did receive an Academy Honorary Award and 14 of his films were nominated for various Oscars, such as ''Network'', which was nominated for 10, winning 4.

''The Encyclopedia of Hollywood'' states that Lumet was one of the most prolific directors of the modern era, making more than one movie per year on average since his directorial debut in 1957. He was noted by Turner Classic Movies for his "strong direction of actors", "vigorous storytelling" and the "social realism" in his best work. Film critic Roger Ebert described him as having been "one of the finest craftsmen and warmest humanitarians among all film directors." Lumet was also known as an "actor's director," having worked with the best of them during his career, probably more than "any other director."

Lumet began his career as an Off-Broadway director, then became a highly efficient TV director. His first movie was typical of his best work: a well-acted, tightly written, deeply considered "problem picture," ''12 Angry Men'' (1957). From that point on Lumet divided his energies among other idealistic problem pictures along with literate adaptations of plays and novels, big stylish pictures, New York-based black comedies, and realistic crime dramas, including ''Serpico'' and ''Prince of the City''. As a result of directing ''12 Angry Men'', he was also responsible for leading the first wave of directors who made a successful transition from TV to movies.

In 2005, Lumet received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his "brilliant services to screenwriters, performers, and the art of the motion picture." Two years later, he concluded his career with the acclaimed drama ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'' (2007). A few months after Lumet's death in April 2011, TV commentator Lawrence O'Donnell aired a tribute to Lumet, and a retrospective celebration of his work was held at New York's Lincoln Center with the appearance of numerous speakers and film stars.

Early years

Lumet was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied theater acting at the Professional Children's School of New York and Columbia University.

His parents, Baruch Lumet and Eugenia Wermus, were both veteran players of the Yiddish stage. His father was an actor, director, producer and writer, while his mother was a dancer. His mother died when he was a child. Lumet made his professional debut on radio at age four and stage debut at the Yiddish Art Theatre at five. As a child he also appeared in many Broadway plays, including 1935's ''Dead End'' and Kurt Weill's ''The Eternal Road''. In 1935 at age 11, Lumet appeared in a Henry Lynn short film, ''Papirossen'' (meaning "Cigarettes" in Yiddish) co-produced by radio star Herman Yablokoff. The film was shown in a theatrical play with the same title, based on a hit song, "Papirosn". The play and short film appeared in the Bronx McKinley Square Theatre. In 1939 he made his only feature-length film appearance, at age 15, in ''One Third of a Nation''. In 1939, World War II interrupted his early acting career, and he spent three years with the US army.

After returning from World War II service (1942–1946) as a radar repairman stationed in India and Burma, he became involved with the Actors Studio, and then formed his own theater workshop. He organized an Off-Broadway group and became its director, and continued directing in summer stock theatre, while teaching acting at the High School of Performing Arts. He was the senior drama coach at the new 46th St. (Landmark) building of "Performing Arts' ("Fame"). The 25 year old Lumet directed the drama department in a production of "The Young and Fair".

Personal life

Lumet was married four times; the first three ended in divorce. He was married to actress Rita Gam from 1949–1955; to socialite Gloria Vanderbilt from 1956–1963; to Gail Jones (daughter of Lena Horne) from 1963–1978, and to Mary Gimbel from 1980 until his death. He had two daughters by Jones: Amy, who was married to P. J. O'Rourke from 1990–1993, and actress/screenwriter Jenny who had a leading role in his film ''Q & A''. She also wrote the screenplay for the 2008 film ''Rachel Getting Married.''

Career in directing

Early career

Lumet began his career as a director with Off-Broadway productions and then evolved into a highly respected TV director. After gaining valuable experience working Off-Broadway and in summer stock theatre, he began to direct in the new medium of television in 1950, after working as an assistant to friend and then-director Yul Brynner. He soon developed a "lightning quick" method for shooting due to the high turnover required by television. As a result, while working for CBS he directed hundreds of episodes of ''Danger'' (1950–1955), ''Mama'' (1949–1957), and ''You Are There'' (1953–1957), a weekly series which co-starred Walter Cronkite in one of his earliest leading roles. He chose Cronkite for the role of anchorman "because the premise of the show was so silly, was so outrageous, that we needed somebody with the most American, homespun, warm ease about him," Lumet said.

He also directed original plays for ''Playhouse 90'', ''Kraft Television Theatre'' and ''Studio One'', filming around 200 episodes, which established him as "one of the most prolific and respected directors in the business," according to Turner Classic Movies. His ability to work quickly while shooting carried over to his film career. Because the quality of many of the television dramas was so impressive, several of them were later adapted as motion pictures.

His first movie, ''12 Angry Men'', was an auspicious beginning for Lumet. It was a critical success and established Lumet as a director skilled at adapting theatrical properties to motion pictures. For US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, seeing the film for the first time, became a "pivotal moment" in her life, as she was at that time considering a career in law. "It told me that I was on the right path," she said.

Fully half of Lumet's complement of films have originated in the theater." He divided his energies among other idealistic problem pictures, adaptations of plays and novels, big stylish pictures, tense melodramas, and New York-based black comedies dealing with society and American culture. A controversial TV show he directed in 1960 gained him notoriety: ''The Sacco-Vanzetti Story'' on NBC; According to ''The New York Times'', "the drama drew flack from the state of Massachusetts (where Sacco and Vanzetti were tried and executed) because it was thought to postulate that the condemned murderers were, in fact, wholly innocent. But the brouhaha actually did Lumet more good than harm, sending several prestigious film assignments his way."

He began adapting classic plays for both film and television. In 1959, he directed Marlon Brando and Joanne Woodward in the feature film ''The Fugitive Kind'', based on the Tennessee Williams play ''Orpheus Descending''. He later directed a live television version of Eugene O'Neill's ''The Iceman Cometh'', which was followed by his 1962 film, ''A View from the Bridge'', another psychological drama from a play written by Arthur Miller. This was followed by another Eugene O'Neill play turned to cinema, ''Long Day's Journey into Night'', in 1962, with Katharine Hepburn gaining an Oscar nomination for her performance as a drug-addicted housewife; the four principal actors swept the acting awards at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. It was also voted one of the year's "Ten Best Films" by ''The New York Times''.

Directing style and subjects

Realism and energetic style

Film critic Owen Gleiberman observes that Lumet was a "hardboild straight shooter," who, because he was trained during the golden Age of television in the 1950s, became noted for his energetic style of directing. The words "Sidney Lumet" and "energy," he adds, became synonymous: "The energy was there in the quietest moments. It was an inner energy, a hum of existence that Lumet observed in people and brought out in them. . . [when he] went into the New York streets . . . he made them electric:

Collaboration

Lumet generally insisted on the collaborative nature of film, sometimes ridiculing the dominance of the "personal" director, writes film historian Frank P. Cunningham. As a result, Lumet became renowned among both actors and cinematographers "for his flexibility in the sharing of creative ideas with the writer, actor, and other artists." According to Cunningham, Lumet "has no equal in the distinguished direction of superior actors," many coming from the theater. He was thereby able to draw "remarkable performances" from acting luminaries such as Ralph Richardson, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Katharine Hepburn, James Mason, Sophia Loren, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Blythe Danner, Rod Steiger, Vanessa Redgrave, Paul Newman, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Albert Finney, Simone Signoret, and Anne Bancroft. "Give him a good actor, and he just might find the great actor lurking within," writes film critic Mick LaSalle.

When necessary, Lumet would choose untrained actors, but stated, "over ninety percent of the time I want the best tools I can get: actors, writers, lighting men, cameramen, propmen." Nonetheless, when he did use less "fully dimensional" actors in the cast of his film, he was still able to bring out superior and memorable acting performances, as he did with Nick Nolte, Anthony Perkins, Armand Assante, Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway, Timothy Hutton and Ali MacGraw, who herself referred to him as "every actor's dream." In Jane Fonda's opinion, "he was a master. Such control of his craft. He had strong, progressive values and never betrayed them."

|fontsize = 95% |width = 25% |align = left}} Lumet believed that movies are an art and once stated that "The amount of attention paid to movies is directly related to pictures of quality." Because he started his career as an actor, he became known as an "actor's director," and worked with the best of them over the years, a roster probably unequaled by any other director." Acting scholar Frank P. Tomasulo agrees, and points out that many directors who are able to understand acting from an actor's perspective, were all "great communicators."

According to film historians Gerald Mast and Bruce Kawin, Lumet's "sensitivity to actors and to the rhythms of the city have made him America's longest-lived descendant of the 1950s Neorealist tradition and its urgent commitment to ethical responsibility." They cite his early film ''The Hill'' (1965) as "one of the most politically and morally radical films of the 1960s."

They add that beneath the social conflicts of Lumet's films lies the "conviction that love and reason will eventually prevail in human affairs," and that "law and justice will eventually be served – or not." His debut film, ''Twelve Angry Men'', was an acclaimed picture in its day: it was a model for liberal reason and fellowship in the Eisenhower era; or maybe it was an alarming example of how easily any jury could be swayed." The film and its director were nominated for Academy Awards. Lumet was nominated for the Director's Guild Award and the film was widely praised by critics.

The ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'' states that his films often featured actors who studied "Method acting", "characterized by an earthy, introspective style. A leading example of such "Method" actors would be Al Pacino, who, early in his career, studied under Method acting guru Lee Strasberg. Lumet also preferred the appearance of spontaneity in both his actors and settings, an "improvisational look achieved by shooting much of his work on location."

Rehearsal and preparation

Lumet was a strong believer in rehearsal, and felt that if you rehearse correctly the actor will not lose spontaneity. According to acting author Ian Bernard, he felt that it gives actors the "entire arc of the role," which gives them the freedom to find that "magical accident." Director Peter Bogdanovich asked him whether he rehearsed extensively before shooting, and Lumet replied "I like to rehearse a minimum of two weeks before I shoot."

He was able to prepare and execute a production in rapid order, allowing him to consistently stay within a modest budget. When filming ''Prince of the City'', for example, although there were over 130 speaking roles and 135 different locations, he was able to coordinate the entire shoot in 52 days. As a result, write historians Charles Harpole and Thomas Schatz, performers were eager to work with him as they considered him to be an "outstanding director of actors." And they note that "whereas many directors disliked rehearsals or advising actors on how to build their character, Lumet excelled at both." As a result, he was able to give his performers a cinematic showcase for their abilities and help them deepen their acting contribution. Actor Christopher Reeve, who co-starred in ''Deathtrap'', also pointed out that Lumet "knows how to talk technical language – if you want to work that way – he knows how to talk Method, he knows how to improvise, and he does it all equally well."

Joanna Rapf, writing about the filming of ''The Verdict'', states that Lumet gave a lot of personal attention to his actors, "listening to them, touching them." She describes how Lumet and star Paul Newman sat on a bench secluded from the main set, where Newman had taken his shoes off, in order to privately discuss an important scene about to be shot. . . . The actors walk through their scenes before the camera rolls. This preparation was done because Lumet likes to shoot a scene in one take, two at the most. "I call him "Speedy Gonzales," the only man I know who'll double-park in front of a whorehouse," kids Paul Newman privately. "He's arrogant about not shooting more than he has to. He doesn't give himself any protection. I know I would," Newman adds. Film critic Betsey Sharkey agrees, adding the "he was a maestro of one or two takes years before Clint Eastwood would turn it into a respected specialty." Sharkey recalls, "[Faye] Dunaway once told me that Lumet worked so fast it was as if he were on roller skates. A racing pulse generated by a big heart."

Character development

Biographer Joanna Rapf observes that Lumet had always been an "independent director," and liked to make films about "men who summon courage to challenge the system, about the little guy against the system." This also includes the women characters in his films, such as ''Garbo Talks''. "Anne Bancroft embodies the kind of character to whom Lumet is attracted – a committed activist for all kinds of causes, who stands up for the rights of the oppressed, who is lively, outspoken, courageous, who refuses to conform for the sake of convenience, and whose understanding of life allows her to die with dignity ... ''Garbo Talks'' in many ways is a valentine to New York."

Throughout a 2006 interview, he reiterated that "he is fascinated by the human cost involved in following passions and commitments, and the cost those passions and commitments inflict on others." This theme is at the "core" of most of his movies, notes Rapf, "including his stories of corruption in the New York City Police Department and family dramas such as in ''Daniel''.

Psychodramas

According to film historian Stephen Bowles, Lumet proved himself "most comfortable and effective as a director of serious psychodramas and was most vulnerable when attempting light entertainments. His Academy Award nominations, for example, were all for character studies of men in crisis, from his first film, ''Twelve Angry Men'', to ''The Verdict''. Lumet was, literally, a child of the drama." He notes that "nearly all the characters in Lumet's gallery are driven by obsessions or passions that range from the pursuit of justice, honesty, and truth to the clutches of jealousy, memory, or guilt. It is not so much the object of their fixations but the obsessive condition itself that intrigues Lumet."

Therefore, Bowles adds, "Lumet's protagonists tend to be isolated, unexceptional men who oppose a group or institution. Whether the protagonist is a member of a jury or party to a bungled robbery, he follows his instincts and intuition in an effort to find solutions. Lumet's most important criterion is not whether the actions of these men are right or wrong but whether the actions are genuine. If these actions are justified by the individual's conscience, this gives his heroes uncommon strength and courage to endure the pressures, abuses, and injustices of others. Frank Serpico, for example, is the quintessential Lumet hero in his defiance of peer group authority and the assertion of his own code of moral values." Lumet in his autobiography described the film Serpico as "a portrait of a real rebel with a cause."

Issues of social justice

Turner Classic Movies states that "it was the social realism which permeated his greatest work that truly defined Lumet  – the themes of youthful idealism beaten down by corruption and the hopelessness of inept social institutions allowed him to produce several trenchant and potent films that no other director could have made." ''Serpico'' (1973) was the first of four "seminal" films he made in the 1970s that marked him as "one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation." It was the story of power and betrayal in the New York City police force, and was coupled with the "idea that innocence is lost in the face of corruption." The movie became a blueprint that Lumet would use to portray the inner world of cops, lawyers and street criminals, with only an "idealistic lone wolf battling seemingly impossible odds."

"As a child of the Depression," writes Joanna Rapf, "growing up poor in New York City with poverty and corruption all around him, Lumet became concerned with the importance of justice to a democracy. He says he likes questioning things, people, institutions, what is considered by society as 'right' and 'wrong.'" He admits, however, that he does not believe that art itself has the power to change anything. "There is, as he says, a lot of 'shit' to deal with in the entertainment industry, but the secret of good work is to maintain your honesty and your passion."

Film historian David Thomson writes "He has steady themes: the fragility of justice, and the police and their corruption.". He adds, "Lumet quickly became esteemed ... [and he] got a habit for big issues – ''Fail-Safe,'' ''The Pawnbroker,'' ''The Hill,'' – and seemed torn between dullness and pathos. ... ''Network'' ...  was the closest he had come to a successful comedy. He was that rarity of the 1970s, a director happy to serve his material – yet seemingly not touched or changed by it. ... His sensitivity to actors and to the rhythms of the city have made him "America's longest-lived descendant of the 1950s Neorealist tradition and its urgent commitment to ethical responsibility."

Lumet, discussing one of his primary film subjects, police corruption, described his feelings for film magazine, ''Cinema Nation'':

New York City settings

Lumet always preferred to work in New York, noted Lumet biographer Joanna Rapf, "shunning the dominance of Hollywood. By refusing to "go Hollywood," he soon became strongly identified with New York and filmed the majority of his films there. Like Woody Allen, he defined himself as a New Yorker. "I always like being in Woody Allen's world," he said. He claimed "the diversity of the City, its many ethnic neighborhoods, its art and its crime, its sophistication and its corruption, its beauty and its ugliness, all feed into what inspires him." He felt that in order to create it is important to confront reality on a daily basis. For Lumet, "New York is filled with reality; Hollywood is a fantasyland."

He used New York time and again as the backdrop – if not the symbol – of his "preoccupation with America's decline," according to film historians Scott and Barbara Siegel. In discussing the significance of urban settings to Lumet, Bowles notes, "Within this context, Lumet is consistently attracted to situations in which crime provides the occasion for a group of characters to come together. Typically these characters are caught in a vortex of events they can neither understand nor control but which they must work to resolve."

In a 2007 interview with ''New York'' magazine, he was asked, "Almost all of your films – from ''The Pawnbroker'' to your latest – have an intense level of that famous New York grit. Is being streetwise really such a difference between us and Hollywood?" Lumet replied: "In L.A., there's no streets! No sense of a neighborhood! They talk about us not knowing who lives in the same apartment complex as us – bullshit! I know who lives in my building. In L.A., how much can you really find out about anybody else? ... Really, it's just about human contact. It seems to me that our greatest problems today are coming out of the increasing isolation of people, everywhere."

Use of contemporary Jewish themes

Like those of other Jewish directors from New York, such as Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, and Paul Mazursky, Lumet's characters often spoke overtly about controversial issues of the times. They felt unconstrained as filmmakers and their art became "filtered through their Jewish consciousness," notes film historian David Desser. Lumet, like the others, sometimes turned to Jewish themes in order to develop ethnic sensibilities that were characteristic of contemporary American culture, by dynamically highlighting its "unique tensions and cultural diversity." This was partly reflected in Lumet's preoccupation with city life. His film ''A Stranger Among Us'', for example, is the story of a woman undercover police officer and her experiences in a Hasidic community within New York City.

The subject of "guilt," explains Desser, dominates many of Lumet's films. From his first feature film, ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), in which a jury must decide the guilt or innocence of a young man, to ''Q & A'' (1990), in which a lawyer must determine the question of guilt and responsibility on the part of a maverick policeman, "guilt," writes Desser, "links the diverse parts of Lumet's varied and complex canon." Whereas in films like ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974), all of the suspects are guilty. There are aspects of Lumet's conception of guilt, adds Desser, that are biblical in nature, whereby Lumet explores Old Testament questions of guilt and responsibility: "Lumet's conception of guilt, that of a father's guilt being passed on to his sons and implicating them profoundly. . . are rampant in Lumet's cinema." According to Desser, such focus on guilt and responsibility which dominates Lumet's themes, "comes directly from Jewish tradition, specifically Judaism: the injunction to remember." This aspect of "remembrance" is explicitly seen in ''The Pawnbroker'' and ''Daniel'', both of which "commemorate, they do not celebrate."

His films were also characterized by a strong emphasis on tensions within the "family," with his apparent "insistence on the centrality of family life." This emphasis on the family also included "surrogate families," as in the police trilogy, ''Serpico'' (1973), ''Prince of the City'' (1981), and ''Q&A;''. An "untraditional family" is also inherent in ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975). According to Desser, the centrality of the family to the Jewish experience – and the way in which a family passes its values on to its children – were an important part of Lumet's worldview.

Directing techniques

Lumet had always preferred naturalism and/or realism, according to Joanna Rapf. He did not like the "decorator's look"; rarely did he want "the camera to call attention to itself; the editing must be unobtrusive." His cinematographer, Ron Fortunato, said "Sidney flips if he sees a look that's too artsy."

Partly because he was willing and able to take on so many significant social issues and problems, "he can deliver powerhouse performances from lead actors, and fine work from character actors," writes film historian Thomson. He is "one of the stalwart figures of New York moviemaking. He abides by good scripts, when he gets them."

According to Katz's ''Film Encyclopedia,'' "Although critical evaluation of Lumet's work wavered widely from film to film, on the whole the director's body of work has been held in high esteem. Critical opinion has generally viewed him as a sensitive and intelligent director who possesses considerable good taste, the courage to experiment with a variety of techniques and styles, and an uncommon gift for handling actors." Lumet, unlike some other directors, tried to keep a professional distance from his actor's personal lives: "Elia Kazan used to really try to get inside the head and psyche of everybody he worked with," Lumet told The New York Times in 2007, referring to the influential director. "I'm the exact opposite school. I don't like to get involved."

In a quote from his book, Lumet emphasized the logistics of directing:

In 1970, Lumet said, "If you're a director, then you've got to direct ... I don't believe that you should sit back and wait until circumstances are perfect before you and it's all gorgeous and marvelous ... I never did a picture because I was hungry ... Every picture I did was an active, believable, passionate wish. Every picture I did I wanted to do ... I'm having a good time."

Lumet, in a statement posted on IMDB, said, "If I don't have a script I adore, I do one I like. If I don't have one I like, I do one that has an actor I like or that presents some technical challenge." Critic Justin Chang adds that Lumet's skill as a director and in developing strong stories, continued up to his last film in 2007, noting that his "nimble touch with performers, his ability to draw out great warmth and zesty humor with one hand and coax them toward ever darker, more anguished extremes of emotion with the other, was on gratifying display in his ironically titled final film, ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.''"

Vision of future films

In the same interview with ''New York'' magazine, when asked what he foresaw as the next wave of filmmaking, he responded, "Well, we were shooting out in Astoria, and one day I was watching all these kids standing outside a school near the studio. It was just marvelous: Indian girls in saris, kids from Pakistan, Korea, kids from all over. So I think you'll see more directors from these communities, telling their stories. You know, I started out making films about Jews and Italians and Irish because I didn't know anything else."

Death

Lumet died aged 86 on April 9, 2011 in his residence in Manhattan, New York from lymphoma. When asked in a 1997 interview about how he wanted to "go out," Lumet responded, "I don't think about it. I'm not religious. I do know that I don't want to take up any space. Burn me up and scatter my ashes over Katz's Delicatessen."

Following his death, numerous tributes have been paid for his enduring body of work, marked by many memorable portrayals of New York City. Fellow New York directors Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese both paid tribute to Lumet. Allen called him the "quintessential New York film-maker", while Scorsese said "our vision of the city has been enhanced and deepened by classics like ''Serpico'', ''Dog Day Afternoon'' and, above all, the remarkable ''Prince of the City''." Lumet also drew praise from New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who called him "one of the great chroniclers of our city".

Lumet was called "the last of the great movie moralists" in a tribute remembering a career in which he "guided many of the world’s most respected actors through roles that connected with the conscious of multiple generations."

Legacy

According to film historian Bowles, Lumet succeeded in becoming a leading drama filmmaker partly because "his most important criterion [when directing] is not whether the actions of his protagonists are right or wrong, but whether their actions are genuine." And where those actions are "justified by the individual's conscience, this gives his heroes uncommon strength and courage to endure the pressures, abuses, and injustices of others." His films have thereby continually given us the "quintessential hero acting in defiance of peer group authority and asserting his own code of moral values."

Lumet's published memoir about his life in film, ''Making Movies'' (1996), is "extremely lighthearted and infectious in its enthusiasm for the craft of moviemaking itself," writes Bowles, "and is in marked contrast to the tone and style of most of his films. Perhaps Lumet's signature as a director is his work with actors – and his exceptional ability to draw high-quality, sometimes extraordinary performances from even the most unexpected quarters" Jake Coyle, ''Associated Press'' writer, agrees: "While Lumet has for years gone relatively underappreciated, actors have consistently turned in some of their most memorable performances under his stewardship. From Katharine Hepburn to Faye Dunaway, Henry Fonda to Paul Newman, Lumet is known as an actor's director," and to some, like Ali MacGraw, he is considered "every actor's dream."

Academy of Motion Pictures President Frank Pierson said, "Lumet is one of the most important film directors in the history of American cinema, and his work has left an indelible mark on both audiences and the history of film itself." ''Boston Herald'' writer James Verniere observes that "at a time when the American film industry is intent on seeing how low it can go, Sidney Lumet remains a master of the morally complex American drama."

Noting that Lumet's "compelling stories and unforgettable performances were his strong suit," director and producer Steven Spielberg believes that Lumet was "one of the greatest directors in the long history of film." Al Pacino, upon hearing of Lumet's death, stated that with his films, "he leaves a great legacy, but more than that, to the people close to him, he will remain the most civilized of humans and the kindest man I have ever known."

He did not win an individual Academy Award, although he did receive an Academy Honorary Award in 2005 and 14 of his films were nominated for various Oscars, such as ''Network'', which was nominated for 10, winning 4. In 2005, Lumet received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his "brilliant services to screenwriters, performers, and the art of the motion picture." Upon winning recognition from the Academy, Lumet said, "I wanted one, damn it, and I felt I deserved one." Nonetheless, director Spike Lee commented that "his great work lives on with us forever. Much more important than Oscar. Ya-dig?"

A few months after Lumet's death in April 2011, TV commentator Lawrence O'Donnell aired a tribute to Lumet, and a retrospective celebration of his work was held at New York's Lincoln Center with the appearance of numerous speakers and film stars.

Filmography

''Stage Struck (1958 film) ''That Kind of Woman'' ''The Fugitive Kind'' ''A View from the Bridge'' ''Long Day's Journey into Night (1962 film) ''The Pawnbroker (film) ''Fail-Safe (1964 film) ''The Hill (film) ''The Group (film) ''The Deadly Affair'' ''Bye Bye Braverman'' ''The Sea Gull'' ''The Appointment'' ''King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis'' ''Last of the Mobile Hot Shots'' ''The Anderson Tapes'' ''Child's Play (1972 film) ''The Offence'' ''Serpico'' ''Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film) ''Dog Day Afternoon'' ''Network (film) ''Equus (film) ''The Wiz (film) ''Just Tell Me What You Want'' ''Prince of the City'' ''Deathtrap (film) ''The Verdict'' ''Daniel (1983 film) ''Garbo Talks'' ''Power (1986 film) ''The Morning After (1986 film) ''Running on Empty (1988 film) ''Family Business (film) ''Q&A; (film) ''A Stranger Among Us'' ''Guilty as Sin'' ''Night Falls on Manhattan'' ''Critical Care (film) ''Gloria (1999 film) ''100 Centre Street'' (TV series) ''Strip Search (film) ''Find Me Guilty'' ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead''

style="width:050px;"	Year	Film	Cast	style="width 150px;"	Trailers
1957	12 Angry Men (1957 film)>12 Angry Men''	Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, Joseph Sweeney (actor)>Joseph Sweeney
1958	Stage Struck'' ||	Henry Fonda, Susan Strasberg, Christopher Plummer	trailer
1959	|	Sophia Loren, Tab Hunter, Jack Warden, Keenan Wynn, George Sanders	trailer
1959	|	Marlon Brando, Joanne Woodward, Anna Magnani, Maureen Stapleton	scene
1961	|	Raf Vallone, Jean Sorel, Carol Lawrence
1962	Long Day's Journey into Night'' ||	Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards, Dean Stockwell	scene
1964	The Pawnbroker'' ||	Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald	scene
1964	Fail-Safe'' ||	Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman	trailer
1965	The Hill'' ||	Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Ossie Davis, Roy Kinnear	trailer
1966	The Group'' ||	Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett
1967	|	James Mason, Harry Andrews, Simone Signoret, Maximilian Schell, Roy Kinnear	intro
1968	|	George Segal, Jack Warden
1968	|	Vanessa Redgrave, Simone Signoret, James Mason, David Warner (actor)>David Warner, Denholm Elliott
1969	|	Omar Sharif, Anouk Aimée	scene
1970	|	Paul Newman (narration), Joanne Woodward (narration)
1970	|	Lynn Redgrave, James Coburn
1971	|	Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, Alan King (comedian)>Alan King	trailer
1972	Child's Play'' ||	James Mason, Robert Preston (actor)>Robert Preston, Beau Bridges
1972	|	Sean Connery, Ian Bannen, Trevor Howard	clip
1973	|	Al Pacino, Tony Roberts (actor)>Tony Roberts	trailer
1974	''Lovin' Molly''
1974	Murder on the Orient Express'' ||	Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Martin Balsam, Anthony Perkins	trailer
1975	|	Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning	trailer
1976	Network'' ||	Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty	scene 1trailer
1977	Equus'' ||	Richard Burton	trailer
1978	The Wiz'' ||	Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Richard Pryor, Mabel King, Lena Horne	trailer
1980	|Alan King, Ali MacGraw, Tony Roberts, Keenan Wynn
1981	|	Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach	trailer
1982	Deathtrap''||	Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon	trailer
1982	|	Paul Newman, Jack Warden, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling	trailerscene
1983	Daniel'' ||	Timothy Hutton, Mandy Patinkin, Ellen Barkin	scene
1984	|	Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver, Carrie Fisher	scene
1986	Power'' ||	Richard Gere, Julie Christie, Gene Hackman
1986	The Morning After''||	Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Raúl Juliá	Fonda interview
1988	Running on Empty'' ||	River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch	trailer LG]
1989	Family Business'' ||	Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Matthew Broderick	trailer
1990	Q & A'' ||	Timothy Hutton, Nick Nolte, Armand Assante, Jenny Lumet	scenetrailer
1992	|	Melanie Griffith, John Pankow
1993	|	Don Johnson, Rebecca De Mornay, Jack Warden	trailer
1997	|	Andy García, Ian Holm, Lena Olin, Richard Dreyfuss	trailer
1997	Critical Care''||	James Spader, Kyra Sedgwick, Helen Mirren, Albert Brooks, Anne Bancroft	trailer
1999	Gloria'' ||	Sharon Stone, George C. Scott, Jeremy Northam	trailer
2001–2002	|	Alan Arkin, LaTanya Richardson
2004	Strip Search'' ||	Glenn Close, Maggie Gyllenhaal
2006	|	Vin Diesel, Alex Rocco, Peter Dinklage	trailer
2007	|	Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei	trailer

Academy Awards

The following films directed by Lumet have received Academy Awards and nominations:

Year	Film	Nominations	Awards
1957
1962
1965
1970	''King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis''
1973	''Serpico''
1974
1975	''Dog Day Afternoon''
1976
1977
1978
1981	''Prince of the City''
1982	''The Verdict''
1986
1988

Other awards

Berlin International Film Festival

1966 ''The Group'' nominated for Competing Film 1964 ''Pawnbroker'' nominated for Competing Film 1959 ''That Kind of Woman'' nominated for Competing Film 1957 ''12 Angry Men'' Won the Golden Bear for Best Film

British Academy Film Awards

1977 ''Network'' nominated for Best Film

1975 ''Dog Day Afternoon'' nominated for Best Film

1974 ''Murder on the Orient Express'' nominated for Best Film

1967 ''Deadly Affair'' nominated for Best British Film

1965 ''The Hill'' nominated for Best British Film

1965 ''The Hill'' nominated for Best Film – Any Source

1957 ''12 Angry Men'' nominated for Best Film – Both Any Source and British

Cannes Film Festival

1992 ''A Stranger Among Us'' nominated for In Competition 1962 ''Long Day's Journey into Night'' nominated for Competing Film New York Film Critics Circle Awards

1981 ''Prince of the City'' won for Best Direction

1981 ''Prince of the City'' nominated for Best Film

1981 ''Prince of the City'' nominated for Best Screenplay

1976 ''Network'' nominated for Best Direction

1976 ''Network'' nominated for Best Film

1968 ''Sea Gull'' nominated for Best Film

1965 ''Pawnbroker'' nominated for Best Direction

1965 ''Pawnbroker'' nominated for Best Film

1964 ''Fail-Safe'' nominated for Best Direction

1957 ''12 Angry Men'' nominated for Best Direction

1957 ''12 Angry Men'' nominated for Best Film

Venice Film Festival

1981 ''Prince of the City'' nominated for Competing Film

References

External links

"The Films of Sidney Lumet", 4 minute compilation of film clips

"Last Word" ''New York Times'' April 21, 2011, video (14 minutes)

Archive of American Television, TV Legends interview, 1999 video, 6-parts, 3 hours

Cinematographer Owen Roizman discusses working with Lumet, 2 minutes

TV interview about "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" video, 5 min.

FilmForce profile

A serious voice in American Cinema

FilmStew interview

On the digital revolution NYFF07

Fresh Air interview from 2006 (audio)

DGA Quarterly interview

sidneylumet.tv New site for fans and experts to upload reviews and essays, launched Nov 2010

Obituary in ''The New York Times''

Category:1924 births Category:2011 deaths Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American Jews Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:American screenwriters Category:American television directors Category:American television producers Category:American theatre directors Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners Category:Cancer deaths in New York Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Deaths from lymphoma Category:Jewish actors Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Writers from New York Category:Yiddish theatre performers

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Name	John Reed
Birth date	February 07, 1969
Birth place	TriBeCa, New York City
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Columbia University
Occupation	novelist
Website	''http://www.johnreed.tv''

John Reed (born February 7, 1969) is an American novelist. He is the author of four novels: ''A Still Small Voice'' (2000), ''Snowball's Chance'' (2002) with a preface by Alexander Cockburn, ''The Whole'' (2005), and ''All the World's a Grave: A New Play by William Shakespeare'' (2008). His fifth book, ''Tales of Woe'' (2010), is a collection of twenty-five stories, chronicling true stories of abject misery.

Biography

Born in 1969 in New York City, Reed is the son of artist David Reed and Judy Rifka. He attended Hampshire College, and received a Masters in Fine Art in Creative Writing from Columbia University. He teaches at The New School.

Reed was an early contributor to, and subsequently an editor with, ''Open City'', a New York literary journal published by Robert Bingham, who later founded the book series.

Works

thumb|left|Reed in Brooklyn reading from his non-fiction ''Tales of Woe'', at the [[MTV|MTV Press/Brooklyn Rail launch party.]]He is affiliated with the ''New York Press'' and ''The Brooklyn Rail''. "Americans are extremely sophisticated in terms of narrative forms," said Reed in an interview. "We see it in commercials, we see it on TV, we see it in movies. But the narrative forms we're talking about are three acts, five acts, depending on how you want to look at it. They're all based on a Christian model of sin, suffering, redemption; which is not a large model."

A Still Small Voice

''A Still Small Voice'' (Delacorte 2000, Delta 2001), Reed’s first novel, is a historical novel based on the life of a girl growing up in Kentucky from 1850-1870.

Snowball's Chance

''Snowball's Chance'' (Roof Books 2002/2003), Reed’s second novel was a controversial send-up of George Orwell’s ''Animal Farm'', and ended in a cataclysmic attack on the “Twin Mills” (reminiscent of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center). It became a bestseller in the field of books by independent literary publishers.

The Whole, or, Duh Whole

''The Whole'', Reed’s third novel, parodied MTV and was released in 2005 by MTV Books (Simon & Schuster). The novel described a gigantic hole that appears in the middle of the country, which engulfs four states.

All the World's a Grave

Reed, in a new work, returns to the overhaul of canonical English writers in ''All the World's a Grave'', fall 2008, Penguin Books. The work, subtitled "''A New Play by William Shakespeare''", is a tragedy in five acts, a "mash-up" constructed of lines drawn from five Shakespeare tragedies and one Shakespeare history; Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo & Juliet and Henry V. In the "literary trick" (as described by Page Six of The New York Post) Shakespeare's lines are rearranged into a wholly new story, in which Prince Hamlet of Denmark goes to war to claim his bride and the daughter of King Lear, Juliet. Upon a triumphant return home, Hamlet discovers that his mother has murdered his father, and married Macbeth. Visited by his father's ghost, and goaded by the opportunistic Lieutenant Iago, Hamlet is driven mad by the erroneous belief that Juliet is having an affair with General Romeo.

References

External links

John Reed's website

All the World's a Grave'', book website.

Kill the beavers!, ''The Daily Telegraph'', November 22, 2002.

John Reed: Saint George and the Damn Truth, ''Moby Lives'', Nove,ber 10, 2003.

John Reed: The Whole, an excerpt, ''Brooklyn Rail'', January 2005.

Dinitia Smith: A Pig Returns to the Farm, Thumbing His Snout at Orwell, ''The New York Times'', November 25, 2002.

Cathy Young: Blaming the Victim, ''Reason.com'', December 3, 2002.

Andrea Scrima: Review of Tales of Woe, Rumpus, November 16, 2010.

Interview with Arthur Phillips on rewriting Shakespeare

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American novelists Category:American humorists Category:Writers from New York Category:Hampshire College alumni Category:Columbia University alumni Category:George Orwell Category:The New School faculty

name	Terence Blanchard
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth date	March 13, 1962
origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
genre	Modern Jazz, Hard Bop
instrument	Trumpet Piano
occupation	musicianbandleadercomposerarrangerfilm score writer
years active	1980 – present
label	Blue Note (present)Sony ClassicalColumbia
associated acts	Art BlakeyDonald HarrisonBranford MarsalisSpike LeeKasi LemmonsTerence Blanchard Quintet featuringBrice WinstonFabian AlmazanJoshua CrumblyKendrick Scott
website	TerenceBlanchard.com }}

Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and film score composer. Since he emerged on the scene in 1980 with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and then shortly thereafter with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Blanchard has been a leading artist in jazz. He was an integral figure in the 1980s jazz resurgence having recorded several award-winning albums and having performed with the jazz elite.

He is known as a straight-ahead artist in the hard bop tradition but has recently utilized an African-fusion style of playing that makes him unique from other trumpeters on the performance circuit. However, it is as a film composer that Blanchard reaches his widest audience. His trumpet can be heard on nearly fifty film scores; more than forty bear his unmistakable compositional style. Since 2000, Blanchard has served as Artistic Director at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. He lives in the Garden District of New Orleans with his wife and four children.

Life and career

Blanchard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the only child to parents Wilhelmina and Joseph Oliver Blanchard, a part-time opera singer and insurance company manager. Blanchard began playing piano at the age of five and then the trumpet at age eight upon hearing Alvin Alcorn play. Blanchard played trumpet recreationally alongside childhood friend Wynton Marsalis in summer music camps but showed no real proficiency on the instrument. Then, while in high school, he began studying at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) under Roger Dickerson and Ellis Marsalis, Jr.. From 1980 to 1982, Blanchard studied under jazz saxophonist Paul Jeffrey and trumpeter Bill Fielder at Rutgers University, while touring with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. In 1982, Wynton Marsalis recommended Blanchard to replace him in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and until 1986, Blanchard was the band's trumpeter and musical director. With Blakey and as co-leader of a quintet with saxophonist Donald Harrison and pianist Mulgrew Miller, Blanchard rose to prominence as a key figure in the 1980s Jazz Resurgence. The Harrison/Blanchard group recorded five albums from 1984-1988 until Blanchard left to pursue a solo career in 1990.

In the 1990s, after a laborious but successful embouchure change, Blanchard was as busy as ever. He recorded his self-titled debut for Columbia Records which reached third on the Billboard Jazz Charts. After performing on soundtracks for Spike Lee movies, including ''Do the Right Thing'' and ''Mo' Better Blues'', Lee wanted Blanchard to compose the scores for his films beginning with "Jungle Fever" (1991). Blanchard has written the score for every Spike Lee film since including, ''Malcolm X'', ''Clockers'', ''Summer of Sam'', ''25th Hour'', ''Inside Man''. In 2006, he composed the score for Spike Lee's 4-hour Hurricane Katrina documentary for HBO entitled ''When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts''. Blanchard also appeared in front of the camera with his mother to share their emotional journey back to find her home completely destroyed.

Blanchard has also composed for other directors, including Leon Ichaso, Ron Shelton and Kasi Lemmons. With over forty scores to his credit, Blanchard is the most prolific jazz musician to ever compose for movies. ''Entertainment Weekly'' proclaimed Blanchard "central to a general resurgence of jazz composition for film." Yet in a 1994 interview for ''Down Beat'', Blanchard was quoted as saying, "Writing for film is fun, but nothing can beat being a jazz musician, playing a club, playing a concert".

All the while, Blanchard has remained true to his jazz roots as a trumpeter and bandleader on the performance circuit. He has recorded several award-winning albums for Columbia, Sony Classical and Blue Note Records, including ''In My Solitude: The Billie Holiday Songbook'' (1994), ''Romantic Defiance'' (1995), ''The Heart Speaks'' (1996), ''Wandering Moon'' (2000), ''Let's Get Lost'' (2001) and ''Flow'' (2005), which was produced by pianist Herbie Hancock and received two Grammy Award nominations.

Terence Blanchard's 2001 CD ''Let's Get Lost'' was his most commercially successful album to date. It features new arrangements of classic songs written by Jimmy McHugh and performed by his own quintet along with the leading ladies of jazz vocals: Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, Dianne Reeves, and Cassandra Wilson.

In 2005, Blanchard was part of the ensemble that won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for his participation on McCoy Tyner’s ''Illuminations'', an award he shared with Tyner, Gary Bartz, Christian McBride and Lewis Nash.

Blanchard was a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. In 2009 in the Disney movie, ''The Princess and the Frog'', Blanchard played all of the alligator Louis’ trumpet parts. He also voiced the role of Earl the bandleader in the riverboat band.

Print biography

In December 2002, Scarecrow Press published ''Contemporary Cat: Terence Blanchard with Special Guests'', an authorized biography of Blanchard written by Anthony Magro. The book is the 42nd title in the publisher's well-regarded "Series In Jazz" headed by editors Dan Morgenstern and Edward Berger.

"Written in an intimate, conversational style, ''Contemporary Cat: Terence Blanchard with Special Guests'' begins in the birthplace of jazz, Blanchard's hometown, New Orleans. His family and famous musician teachers speak of a disciplined youngster who matured alongside the Marsalis brothers and saxophonist Donald Harrison to become a leader in the important 1980s jazz resurgence."

Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

In the fall of 2000, Terence Blanchard was named artistic director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at the University of Southern California. Herbie Hancock serves as chairman; Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry and Jimmy Heath sit on the board of trustees. The conservatory offers an intensive, tuition-free, two-year master's program to a limited number of students (only up to eight per every two years).

In his role as artistic director, Blanchard works with the students in the areas of artistic development, arranging, composition, and career counseling. He also participates in master classes and community outreach activities associated with the program. "Out of my desire to give something back to the jazz community, I wanted to get involved. In fact, I've always said that if I wasn't a musician, that I would like to be a teacher. So I was glad to get involved and to be a part of this unique program that fosters such an open and accessible environment."

Recognition

Grammy Awards

Career Wins: 5

Career Nominations: 12

{| class=wikitable |- | colspan=7 align=center | Terence Blanchard Grammy History |- ! Year ! Category ! Title ! Genre ! Label ! Result ! Notes |- | 1984 | Best Jazz Instrumental Performance - Group | ''New York Scene'' | Jazz | Concord | Winner | with the Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. |- | 1990 | Best Jazz Instrumental Performance - Group | ''Mo' Better Blues (Soundtrack)'' | Jazz | CBS | Nominated | with the Branford Marsalis Quartet. |- | 1996 | Best Latin Jazz Album | ''The Heart Speaks'' | Latin Jazz | Columbia | Nominated | features the compositions of Ivan Lins. |- | 2000 | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | ''Wandering Moon'' | Jazz | Sony Classical | Nominated | for the track "I Thought About You" |- | 2001 | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | ''Let's Get Lost'' | Jazz | Sony Classical | Nominated | for the track "Lost In a Fog" |- | 2004 | Best Jazz Instrumental Album | McCoy Tyner's ''Illuminations'' | Jazz | Telarc | Winner | featured as the band's trumpeter and composer of one song. |- | 2005 | Best Jazz Instrumental Album | ''Flow'' | Jazz | Blue Note | Nominated | Herbie Hancock, album producer. |- | 2006 | Best Long Form Music Video | ''Flow: Living in the Stream of Music (DVD)'' | Jazz | Blue Note | Nominated | Jim Gabour, video director/producer; Robin Burgess video producer. |- | 2007 | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | ''A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)'' | Jazz | Blue Note | Nominated | for the track "Levees" |- | 2007 | Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album | ''A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)'' | Jazz | Blue Note | Winner | features Blanchard's quintet with a 40-piece string orchestra. |- | 2008 | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | ''Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival'' | Jazz | Blue Note | Winner | for the track "Be-Bop" |- | 2009 | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | ''Watts'' | Jazz | Dark Key Music | Winner | for the track "Dancin' 4 Chicken" |}

Awards

Selected film-related awards for Terence Blanchard.

!Year	!Award	!Category	!Score	!Result
1994		Best Jazz Album	''The Malcolm X Jazz Suite''	Nominated
1995	Emmy Award	Best Original Score for a TV Mini-Series	''The Promised Land''	Nominated
2003	World Soundtrack Award	Soundtrack Composer of the Year	"25th Hour"	Nominated
2003	Sierra Award	Best Score	"25th Hour"	Nominated
2003	Golden Globe	Best Original Score - Motion Picture	"25th Hour"	Nominated
2003	Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA)	Best Score	"25th Hour"	Winner
2005	Black Reel	Best Original Score	"She Hate Me"	Nominated
2007	Black Reel	Best Original Score	''Inside Man''	Nominated

Discography

A complete discography of Blanchard's jazz recordings as a bandleader. The Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Band featuring Blanchard on trumpet will make a 54-date, 10-week tour of the United States from January 8, 2008 to March 16, 2008. Rounding out the band will be saxophonist James Moody, pianist Benny Green, bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Kendrick Scott. The special ensemble will also feature jazz singer Nnenna Freelon.

In December 2007, the Terence Blanchard Quintet performed the movie music of Spike Lee and Terence Blanchard with an orchestra and singers Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, and Raul Midón at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

In November 2008 he was a guest on ''Private Passions'', the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3.

Blanchard composed original music for Stephen Adly Guirgis's new Broadway play ''The Motherfucker With the Hat'', which premiered at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on April 11, 2011. The show is described as "a high-octane verbal cage match about love, fidelity and misplaced haberdashery."

Further reading

Magro, Anthony. ''Contemporary Cat: Terence Blanchard with Special Guests'', Scarecrow Press (2002) - ISBN 0810843234

Yanow, Scott. ''Trumpet Kings: The Players Who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet'', Backbeat Books (2002) - ISBN 0879306084

References

External links

Terence Blanchard's official website

Terence Blanchard interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2009

Magro, Anthony. "Contemporary Cat: Terence Blanchard with Special Guests", Scarecrow Press (2002)

[ Billboard Chart History for Terence Blanchard]

Interview with Terence Blanchard

Category:1962 births Category:African American musicians Category:American film score composers Category:American jazz composers Category:American jazz trumpeters Category:Blue Note Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hard bop trumpeters Category:Jazz musicians from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Living people Category:Mainstream jazz trumpeters Category:Modal jazz trumpeters Category:Musicians from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Post-bop trumpeters

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