Peter Askin

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Peter Askin (born 1940) is an actor, director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing the 2007 film Trumbo , a documentary about the Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who was blacklisted for being a member of the Hollywood Ten. [1] For the film, he worked closely with Trumbo's son, Christopher Trumbo. [2]

Contents

Biography

Born to a Jewish family, [3] Askin is the son of Alma Askin, the daughter of Joseph Durst, [4] the founder of the Durst Organization and member of one of the most prominent real estate families in New York City in the 20th century. [5] He was educated at Middlebury College and Columbia University. [6] He trained under Wynn Handman at The American Place Theatre in New York City. [6] Askin made his debut in 1986 with Down an Alley Filled with Cats. [6] Askin was the screenwriter for such films as Company Man (which he also co-directed) and Smithereens , and he directed and produced the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch . [7] Askin operates the Off-Broadway Westside Theatre. Askin is the Principal Producer of New York-based film and entertainment company Reno Productions. Both fictional movies and documentaries are produced. In 2022 Askin released Salt in My Soul. [8]

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References

  1. Cieply, Michael (September 11, 2007). "A Voice From the Blacklist: Documentary Lets Dalton Trumbo Speak (Through Surrogates)". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  2. "Dalton Trumbo – Interview with Director Peter Askin". PBS. Retrieved December 16, 2001.
  3. "Theater; Sex, Even Love, Whatever It Takes to Connect" by John Leguizamo, The New York Times , November 25, 2001
  4. "Paid Notice: Deaths Askin, Alma", The New York Times, April 22, 2002
  5. "In City Real Estate, Old Clans Are Shrewd Again" by Charles V. Bagli, The New York Times, February 8, 2010
  6. 1 2 3 Hischak, Thomas S. Enter the Playmakers: Directors and Choreographers on the New York Stage, 2006
  7. "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". The Internet Off-Broadway Database . Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  8. "’Salt in My Soul’ Review: Living, Even Thriving, With Illness" by Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times