Daniel Hirsh

Last updated
Daniel Hirsh
Daniel Hirsh.jpg
Hirsh in September 1999
Born
Daniel Harris Hirsh

(1982-05-18) May 18, 1982 (age 42)
Education Whitefish Bay High School
Alma mater Washington University in St. Louis
Occupations
  • Editor
  • Actor
  • Cinematographer
  • Producer
  • Director
Years active1998–present
Known forDeep bass radio voice
Spouse
Aline Gray
(m. 2006;div. 2009)
Relatives Haskell Wexler (cousin), Michael Bloomfield (cousin), T. Robin Hirsh (cousin), Daryl Hannah (cousin)
Website www.danhirsh.com

Daniel Hirsh (born May 18, 1982, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actor, voice over artist, video editor, director, cinematographer, writer, and producer. Hirsh has acted in and directed several World Premiere theatrical productions, being best known for originating the title role in a Tennessee Williams play ("Me, Vashya"). His editing work on short- and feature-length films have won awards at several festivals. Hirsh has trained as a videographer, actor, singer, and improvisational comedian, currently continuing work in Milwaukee, New York City, Atlanta and St. Louis. Working mainly with Atlanta filmmaker and entertainer Parthiban Shanmugam, other collaborators include Wade Ballance, Philip Barrett, Kevin L. Powers, and Thomas Smugala. Influenced by French videographer and university lecturer Pier Marton and screenwriter Richard Chapman, he has focused his career on narrative filmmaking, while also piecing together documentaries on energy healing, life after death and astral projection. He currently resides in New York City due to his interest in The New York Presbyterian Hospital which utilizes energy healing, and proximity to The Monroe Institute and University of Virginia, both of which partake in astral projection and consciousness research.

Contents

Editorial, Production, Direction and Cinematography Work

You're Rejected propelled Hirsh, Shanmugam and lead actor George Lee Clark to national and international recognition, winning "Official Selection" from the Filmböro Film Festival,"Honorable Mention" at the Philadelphia International Film Festival & Market, "Official Selection" at the AIAFF Film Festival, and "Official Selection" at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. [1]

Film and Television Acting

Theatrical Acting

Hirsh's acting style has been described as amusing, comic, and quirky. His complexion and physical appearance have been compared to John Belushi, Jon Lovitz, and Steve Zissis, with a comic voice comparable to Nathan Lane's. He prefers the Practical Aesthetics school of thought, pioneered by David Mamet, William H. Macy and Robert Bella; having taken a summer intensive course there in 2004, alongside Anna Chlumsky and Lucy DeVito. He has actively participated in various other acting styles and techniques.

Hirsh starred as himself in an improvised Thesis project directed by Washington University senior Lora Ivanova in 2003. I See (You See) was a one-act play starring five actors, one of which would be audience-voted to strap a video camera to their head while playing out suggestions for improvisational scenes. The piece, mostly comic, was met with positive reception.

Hirsh's most notable performance was his portrayal of Sir Vashya Shontine in Tennessee Williams' one-act play, Me, Vashya, written in 1937 during the playwright's short tenure at Washington University. [2] The complete script was later published in the compilation The Magic Tower and Other One-Act Plays by publisher New Directions. [3] Me, Vashya was performed as a World Premiere production with The Glass Menagerie as part of the Washington University in St. Louis Tennessee Williams Symposium in February 2004. [4]

Hirsh's third World Premiere production, Six Seconds in Charlack, by Washington University alumni Brian Golden premiered on April 28 of 2005. [5] Charlack was later performed on New York City's Off-Off-Broadway circuit at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center in August 2009. [6]

Theatrical Performances


Theatrical Directed Productions

Tick, Tick... Boom! was Hirsh's first major directorial debut after Washington University secured the rights from the estate of Jonathan Larson to be the third venue in the world to produce the little-known rock musical.

A Shave was the first of a World Premiere site-specific trilogy of plays written by student Lauren Dusek and inspired by the on-campus success of Downsize by Chicago playwright Christopher Welzenbach. [7] Downsize was staged at Washington University's Mallinkrodt Center Men's Bathroom, with a maximum of only 11 or 12 audience members viewing the show at a time. The trilogy, consisting of A Shave,A Haircut and A Song, was staged in the Washington University Small Group Housing parking lot, an on-campus apartment, and a racquetball court in the Athletic Complex, respectively. [8]

Biographical Film

Hirsh on the set of "3 Cats and a Man" in 2011. Hirsh on the set of "3 Cats and a Man" in 2011.jpg
Hirsh on the set of "3 Cats and a Man" in 2011.

Following a divorce from Aline Gray in 2009, filmmaker Parthiban Shanmugam proposed the creation of a biographical film starring Hirsh and Atlanta singer/songwriter Debbie Aviva Kessler. The film's style would mimic My Dinner With Andre , in which the bulk of the picture was a completely improvised conversation between the two main characters, as well as footage from Hirsh and Gray's actual wedding, with a subsection devoted to Primal Therapy as the film's penultimate sequence. 3 Cats and a Man screened only once on May 17, 2012, in France. [9] Unhappy with the outcome, Shanmugam had the film re-edited and retitled Pikuach Nefesh: Saving Daniel [10] in 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cronenberg</span> Canadian filmmaker and film director (born 1943)

David Paul Cronenberg is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the intertwining of the psychological, physical, and technological. Cronenberg is best known for exploring these themes through sci-fi horror films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983) and The Fly (1986), though he has also directed dramas, psychological thrillers and gangster films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Williams</span> American playwright (1911–1983)

Thomas Lanier Williams III, known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hall (director)</span> English theatre, opera and film director (1930–2017)

Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall CBE was an English theatre, opera and film director. His obituary in The Times declared him "the most important figure in British theatre for half a century" and on his death, a Royal National Theatre statement declared that Hall's "influence on the artistic life of Britain in the 20th century was unparalleled". In 2018, the Laurence Olivier Awards, recognising achievements in London theatre, changed the award for Best Director to the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director.

<i>Tick, Tick... Boom!</i> Musical by Jonathan Larson

Tick, Tick... Boom! is a musical by Jonathan Larson. It tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, who lives in New York City in 1990. Jon is worried he has made the wrong career choice to be part of the performing arts. The story is semi-autobiographical, as stated by Larson's father in the liner notes of the cast recording – Larson had been trying to establish himself in theater since the early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Hartman Black</span> American actress and singer (born 1956)

Lisa Hartman Black is an American actress and singer from Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Plummer</span> American-Canadian actress (born 1957)

Amanda Michael Plummer is an American actress. She is known for her work on stage and for her film roles, including Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), The Fisher King (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). Plummer won a Tony Award in 1982 for her performance in Agnes of God. She most recently appeared in the third season of Star Trek: Picard (2023).

Roger Bart is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Kudisch</span> American stage actor (born 1966)

Marc Kudisch is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.

<i>The Devil Wears Prada</i> (novel) 2003 novel on which 2006 film is based

The Devil Wears Prada is a 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger about a young woman who is hired as a personal assistant to a powerful fashion magazine editor, a job that becomes nightmarish as she struggles to keep up with her boss's grueling schedule and demeaning demands. It spent six months on the New York Times bestseller list and became the basis for the 2006 film of the same name, starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt. The novel is considered by many to be an example of the "chick lit" genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Fraser</span> American actress and singer

Alison Fraser is an American actress, voice actress and singer who has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in television and film. In concert, she has performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, The White House, Town Hall, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Tisch Center for the Arts, The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Wilma, The Emelin, Joe's Pub, 54 Below, and Symphony Space.

Walter C. Pfister is an American director and former cinematographer, who is best known for his work with filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Some of his collaborations with Nolan include Memento (2000), The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), and Inception (2010). For his work on Inception, Pfister won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and received a BAFTA Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raúl Esparza</span> American actor (born 1970)

Raúl Eduardo Esparza is an American actor. Considered one of Broadway's most prominent leading men since the 2000s, he is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Bobby in the 2006 Broadway revival of Company and for his television role as New York Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Rafael Barba in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he had a recurring role in Season 14 and was promoted to a series regular in Seasons 15 to 19.

<i>Azhagi</i> (2002 film) 2002 Indian film

Azhagi is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Thangar Bachan in his directoral debut, based on his short story "Kalvettugal". The film stars Parthiban, Nandita Das and Devayani. It was released on 14 January 2002 and won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil. The film was remade in Telugu as Letha Manasulu in 2004.

Donald Joseph Scardino is an American television director, producer, and retired actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Wingard</span> American filmmaker (born 1982)

Adam Wingard is an American filmmaker. He has served as a film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, actor, and composer on numerous American films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Griffiths</span> American film director

Megan Griffiths is an American film and television director who resides in Seattle, and is a board member of Northwest Film Forum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joi McMillon</span> American film editor

Joi McMillon is an American film editor. In 2003, she graduated from Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts. McMillon is known for her work on the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight (2016), and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), both winning several respective accolades.

<i>Tick Tock</i> (film) 2018 Pakistani film

Tick Tock is a Pakistani animated film directed by Omar Hassan and written by Omair Alavi and Sana Tauseef. The film is produced by Sana Tauseef. The story follows history buffs Hassan and Daanya, who embark upon a time-travel adventure along with their teacher KK. The film casts Ahsan Khan, Alyy Khan and Maria Memon is the lead roles. The film was released on 23 March 2018 under the Hum Films Banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Brooks</span> American director of photography

Alice Brooks ASC, is an American director of photography best known for her cinematography work on feature films, particularly the film adaptations of the stage musicals Wicked (2024), Tick, Tick ... Boom! (2021), and In the Heights (2021).

References

  1. "Amazon, You're Rejected, April 1, 2010". Amazon. April 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  2. "The Source, PAD to debut Williams play Me, Vashya, February 6, 2004". 6 February 2004. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  3. Williams, Tennessee (25 April 2011). Google Books, The Magic Tower and Other One-Act Plays, April 25, 2011. New Directions. ISBN   9780811225717. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  4. "The Source, 20 years after his death, a Tennessee Williams work is staged for the first time, December 19, 2003". 19 December 2003. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  5. "The Source, Six Seconds in Charlack: Hotchner-winning play to debut April 28-May 1, April 20, 2005". 20 April 2005. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  6. "Theatermania, 6 Seconds in Charlack, August 28, 2009". Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  7. "Chicago Tribune, Who says art hasn't gone down the toilet?, June 13, 2003". Archived from the original on 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  8. "Student Life, A look at Student Theatre, April 12, 2006". 12 April 2006. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  9. IMDb, 3 Cats and a Man (2012), archived from the original on 2023-02-28, retrieved 2018-07-04
  10. IMDb, Pikuach Nefesh: Saving Daniel (2016), archived from the original on 2023-02-28, retrieved 2018-07-04