George Jean Nathan

George Jean Nathan (born February 14, 1882, Fort Wayne, Indiana - died April 8, 1958, New York, New York) was a U.S. drama critic and editor. Famous for the erudition and cynicism of his reviews, Nathan was an early champion of Eugene O'Neill. Together with H.L. Mencken he co-founded magazines Smart Set in 1914 and The American Mercury in 1924. He was also a founder and an editor (1932?35) of the American Spectator, and after 1943 he wrote a syndicated column for the New York Journal-American. His criticism appeared in the following: Mr. George Jean Nathan Presents (1917); The Critic and the Drama (1922); The Testament of a Critic (1931); Since Ibsen (1933); The World of George Jean Nathan, ed. by Charles Angoff (1952); and The Magic Mirror, edited by T. G. Curtiss (1960). Nathan's philosophy of criticism is laid out in Autobiography of an Attitude (1925).

Related Topics:
February 14 - 1882 - Fort Wayne, Indiana - April 8 - 1958 - New York, New York - U.S. - Eugene O'Neill - H.L. Mencken - Smart Set - 1914 - The American Mercury - 1924 - American Spectator - New York Journal-American - Mr. George Jean Nathan Presents - The Critic and the Drama - The Testament of a Critic - Since Ibsen - The World of George Jean Nathan - Charles Angoff - The Magic Mirror - Autobiography of an Attitude

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He was married to stage and film actress Julie Haydon, who was much younger than he was, from 1955 until his death in 1958. Haydon is best known as the original 'Laura Wingfield' in the original production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, a role played by Jane Wyman in the film version. Haydon is the actual person who provided the petrified screams apparently issuing from Fay Wray in King Kong; in reality Haydon did the screaming and it was dubbed to Wray. Julie Haydon was born Donatella Donaldson in 1910, and died of cancer at the age of 84 in 1994.

Related Topics:
Tennessee Williams - The Glass Menagerie - Jane Wyman - Fay Wray - King Kong

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