Daniel Mann

Stage, television and film director 'Daniel Mann' (qv) was born Daniel Chugerman on August 8, 1912, in Brooklyn, NY. He was a child performer and attended the New York's Professional Children's School. He studied with renowned acting teacher 'Sanford Meisner' (qv) at the Neighborhood Playhouse, eventually becoming his assistant. Mann was one of the first acting teachers at the Actors Studio.He established himself as a first-rate actors' director while on Broadway. 'Sidney Blackmer' (qv) and 'Shirley Booth' (qv) won Tony 'Awards' (qv) under his direction for "Come Back, Little Sheba", which also became Mann's film directorial debut (_Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)_ (qv)), with 'Burt Lancaster' (qv) in support of Booth on the screen (Mann would direct her again in the less successful _Hot Spell (1958)_ (qv) at the end of the decade). Booth won an Oscar for her work, as did 'Anna Magnani' (qv) in _The Rose Tattoo (1955)_ (qv), which Mann also directed on Broadway (with 'Maureen Stapleton' (qv) in the part of the lonely Italian-American widow Serafina Delle Rose, which 'Tennessee Williams' (qv) originally wrote with Magnani in mind). Magnani beat out 'Susann Hayward in _I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)_ (qv) for the Oscar, another performance directed by Mann.In all, Mann directed six women and one man (''Paul Muni' (qv)') to Oscar nominations. On Broadway he helped 'James Dean' (qv) break through into the big time, directing his performance as the gay Arab houseboy in 'André Gide' (qv)'s "The Immoralist". Despite dropping out after the first two weeks to go to Hollywood to make _East of Eden (1955)_ (qv), Dean won a Theatre World Award for his performance.Mann was one of the top movie directors of the 1950s, helming _I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)_ (qv), _The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)_ (qv), _The Last Angry Man (1959)_ (qv) and _BUtterfield 8 (1960)_ (qv), which brought 'Elizabeth Taylor' (qv) her first Oscar. However, his film career began to decline in the 1960s. In the first half of the decade he still was given A-list pictures with top female stars like 'Rosalind Russell' (qv) and 'Sophia Loren' (qv), but he also directed 'Dean Martin' (qv) comedies and the spy movie spoof _Our Man Flint (1966)_ (qv). His reputation waned and he played out his string in the 1970s and 1980s, directing TV movies and an embarrassingly bad feature about a boxing kangaroo, _Matilda (1978)_ (qv).'Daniel Mann' (qv) died of heart failure in Los Angeles on November 21, 1991. He was 79 years old.::Jon C. Hopwood (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)