Gene Persson | |
---|---|
Born | Eugene Clair Persson January 12, 1934 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
Died | June 6, 2008 74) New York City, U.S. | (aged
Occupation(s) | Actor, producer |
Years active | 1946–1961 |
Spouses | |
Children | 3; including Kaitlin Hopkins |
Eugene Clair "Gene" Persson (January 12, 1934 – June 6, 2008) was an American actor, theatrical and film producer, [1] best known for his work as the co-producer and co-creator of the original 1967 production of the Broadway musical comedy, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , as well as the show's 1999 Broadway revival, which won two Tony Awards. [1]
Gene Persson was born in Long Beach, California the son of Oscar Persson and Leah Krascoff. He began his career in entertainment as a child actor on radio, television and film, [1] including one of the kids in Ma and Pa Kettle (1949) and two of its followups. He returned to acting after having served in the United States military during the Korean War, appearing in B movies, including Paramount Pictures' The Party Crashers (1958), as well as Earth vs. the Spider (1958) and Bloodlust! (1961). [1]
Persson married actress Shirley Knight in 1959. [1] He soon began switching his career focus from acting to producing around the time of his marriage. [1] In 1964 their daughter Kaitlin was born, He began producing plays in New York City and Los Angeles in which Knight held a starring position. [1] Their joint productions included early plays by LeRoi Jones, who is also known as Amiri Baraka, such as The Slave, The Toilet and Dutchman . [1] Their Broadway plays later included Stanley Mann's Room. [1] He also produced a controversial play entitled The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald on Broadway in 1967. [1]
On screen, Persson produced Dutchman with Anthony Harvey, who was a first time director at the time of production. [1] The film, which starred Shirley Knight and Al Freeman Jr., is still screened at film festivals and museums today, according to Variety .
Knight and Persson later divorced in 1969, but remained lifelong personal and professional friends. [1] Their daughter was raised by Knight's second husband, the English writer John Hopkins.
Persson moved to London in 1969. [1] There he produced a total of five plays for British playwright Peter Barnes, including The Ruling Class . [1] He later collaborated with Tennessee Williams during the 1970s to produce the British revival of The Glass Menagerie as well as The Red Devil Battery Sign , both of which were produced in the United Kingdom. [1] Persson and Williams also teamed up to bring An Evening with Tennessee Williams and This Is to San Francisco. [1]
In 1972 he married Ruby Persson and they had two sons: Lukas and Markus.
Persson and Arthur Whitelaw co-produced and co-created You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 1967. [1] The musical was based on the Peanuts characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. The book in which they and their creative team adapted the musical was by John Gordon, which was a pseudonym. [1] According to Variety, Persson's musical "has gone on to be one of the most produced musicals ever." [1] Persson later returned as the producer of the 1999 Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. [1] The show earned two Tony Awards in 1999.
Persson also produced the 1973 television special of the original musical, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown for the Hallmark Hall of Fame. [1] Persson continued to produce stage productions for much of the next decade. [1] Among these included the Peanuts musical comedy Snoopy!!! The Musical , which he both directed and produced. [1]
Persson was working on a musical stage version of the 1965 television holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas , at the time of his death in 2008. [1]
Gene Persson died of a heart attack in Manhattan on June 6, 2008, at the age of 74. [1] He was survived by his wife of 36 years, actress and artist Ruby Persson, and his three children, Kaitlin Hopkins, an actress; Lukas Persson, a filmmaker and writer; and Markus Persson, a musician. [1]
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip Peanuts, syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown is one of the great American archetypes and a popular and widely recognized cartoon character. Charlie Brown is characterized as a person who frequently suffers, and as a result, is usually nervous and lacks self-confidence. He shows both pessimistic and optimistic attitudes: on some days, he is apprehensive to even get out of bed because he is unable to face the world, but on others, he hopes for the best and is determined to accomplish things. Charlie Brown is easily recognized by his round head and trademark zigzag patterned shirt.
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on the screenplay for the 1957 Italian film Nights of Cabiria. However, whereas Federico Fellini's black-and-white film concerns the romantic ups-and-downs of an ever-hopeful prostitute, in the musical the central character is a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance hall. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning the Tony Award for Best Choreography. The production also ran in the West End as well as having revivals and international productions.
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts. The musical has been a popular choice for amateur theatre productions because of its small cast and simple staging.
Rerun Van Pelt is Linus and Lucy's younger brother in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. Lucy Van Pelt, his sister, disparagingly calls the situation a "rerun" of the birth of her brother Linus, so Linus nicknames the child "Rerun". Despite Lucy's disappointment, she becomes a warm and protective older sister.
Sally Brown is a fictional character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz. She is the younger sister of main character Charlie Brown. She was first mentioned in May 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appearance in August 1959. Cathy Steinberg was the first to voice Sally in 1965 for the CBS special A Charlie Brown Christmas; she was six years old at the time.
José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez was an American animator, director, producer, and voice actor. Melendez is known for working on the Peanuts animated specials, as well as providing the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock. Before Peanuts, he previously worked as an animator for Walt Disney Productions, Warner Bros. Cartoons, and UPA.
Patty is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. Patty was formerly a major character whose role was reduced in later years; she never developed a distinct personality like Lucy or Sally. She is sometimes confused with Peppermint Patty, a different and later character with a similar name. Patty appeared in the first Peanuts strip, with Shermy and Charlie Brown, on October 2, 1950.
Andrew Lippa is an American composer, lyricist, book writer, performer, and producer. He is a resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City.
Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer.
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.
Shirley Knight Hopkins was an American actress who appeared in more than 50 feature films, television films, television series, and Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in her career, playing leading and character roles. She was a member of the Actors Studio.
Philip Roman is an American animator and the director of the Peanuts and Garfield animated specials. He is the founder of the animation studios Film Roman and Phil Roman Entertainment.
Snoopy: The Musical is a musical comedy with music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. This sequel to the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown focuses more on the life of Snoopy. Since its premiere, the musical has been a popular choice for regional, international, and amateur theatre performances.
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is the 29th prime-time animated musical television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. This adaptation of the 1967 musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown originally aired on the CBS network on November 6, 1985, and rebroadcast on June 14, 1988. The special was produced by Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates and Mendelson-Melendez Productions.
Snoopy! The Musical is the 31st prime-time animated TV special based on characters from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It is an animated adaptation of the musical of the same name, and originally aired on the CBS network on January 29, 1988.
Kaitlin Persson Hopkins is an American actress and singer, the daughter of actress Shirley Knight and stage producer/director Gene Persson.
"Little Known Facts" is a musical number in the Broadway musical comedy, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The music and lyrics were written by Clark Gesner in 1966. The song was in the original Off-Broadway production of the show in 1967 and was also in the revival production in 1999, where it was added an extra stanza by Andrew Lippa.
Clark Gesner was an American composer, songwriter, author, and actor. He is best known for composing the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, based on the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts.
William Hinnant was an American actor. His younger brother is actor and comedian Skip Hinnant.
The Peanuts Movie is a 2015 American animated comedy film based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Steve Martino from a screenplay by Cornelius Uliano and Craig and Bryan Schulz. Uliano and the Schulzes also serve as producers alongside Paul Feig and Michael J. Travers. It stars the voices of Noah Schnapp as Charlie Brown and, via archival recordings, Bill Melendez as Snoopy and Woodstock. The film sees Charlie trying to improve his odds with his love interest, the Little Red-Haired Girl, while Snoopy writes a book where he is a World War I Flying Ace trying to save his fellow pilot and love interest, Fifi, from the Red Baron and his flying circus. It was the fifth full-length Peanuts film and the first in 35 years.