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Sam Wanamaker

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Sam Wanamaker
CBE
Wanamaker in 1961
Born
Samuel Wattenmacker

(1919-06-14)June 14, 1919
Chicago,Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 18, 1993(1993-12-18)(aged 74)
London,England
EducationGoodman School of Drama
Art Institute of Chicago
Drake University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
Years active1934–1993
Spouse
Charlotte Holland
​
(m.1940)​
Children3, includingZoë
RelativesMarc Wanamaker(nephew)

Samuel Wanamaker,CBE,(bornSamuel Wattenmacker;June 14, 1919 – December 18, 1993) was an American actor and director, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He began his career onBroadway,but spent most of his professional life in the United Kingdom, where he emigrated after becoming fearful of beingblacklistedin Hollywood due to hiscommunistviews in the 1950's.

Wanamaker became extensively involved in British theater, while continuing film and television work, eventually returning to some Hollywood productions while remaining based in the UK. There, he is also credited as the person most responsible for savingThe Rosetheatre, which led to the modern recreation ofShakespeare's Globetheatre in London, where he is commemorated in the name of theSam Wanamaker Playhouse,the site's second theatre. He was awarded an honorary knighthood for his work.

Wanamaker was the father of actressZoë Wanamaker,and the uncle of film historianMarc Wanamaker.

Early life

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Wanamaker was born in Chicago, the son of tailor Maurice Wattenmacker (Manus Watmakher)[1]and Molly (née Bobele). His parents were bothJewishimmigrants from theRussian Empire.[2]His father Maurice was fromMykolaiv,in present-dayUkraine.[3]He was the younger of two brothers, the elder being William, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

He trained at theGoodman School of Drama,then at theArt Institute of Chicago(now atDePaul University) and atDrake University.He began working withsummer stock theatrecompanies in Chicago and northern Wisconsin, where he helped build the stage of thePeninsula PlayersTheatre in 1937.

Career

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Wanamaker began his acting career in traveling shows and later worked on Broadway. In 1942, he starred withIngrid BergmaninJoan of Lorraineand directedTwo Gentlemen from Athensthe following year.[4]

In 1943, Wanamaker was part of the cast of the playCounterattackat theNational Theatrein Washington, D.C. During the play, he became enamored of the ideals of communism. He attended Drake University before serving in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946, during World War II. In 1947, he returned to civilian life as an actor and director. In 1948, he starred in and directed the original Broadway production ofGoodbye, My Fancy.[5]

As Stanley Goldblum inThe Billion Dollar Bubble(1976)

In 1951, Wanamaker made a speech welcoming the return of two of theHollywood Ten.In 1952, at the height of theMcCarthy"Red Scare"period, Wanamaker, who was then acting in the UK, learned that despite his distinguished service in the Army during World War II, his years as a communist could lead to his beingblacklistedin Hollywood.[a]He consequently decided to remain in England, where he reestablished his career as a stage and film actor, along with becoming a director and producer.[7]He explained:

In 1950 I went to England to do a play, and around that time the whole McCarthy witch-hunting era had taken hold in Hollywood—so I just stayed in Britain. I knew that because I had worked with actors who had problems in Hollywood, I might have difficulties.[8]

In 1952, he made his debut as both actor and director in London inClifford Odets'Winter Journey.The play, which co-starredMichael Redgrave,was considered "sensational" by critics.[7]He later appeared in other plays, includingThe Big Knife,The Shrike,The Rainmaker,andA Hatful of Rain.[7]In 1956, he directed the British premiere ofBertolt BrechtandKurt Weill's musical playThe Threepenny Opera(revived in New York in 1954 in a translation byMarc Blitzstein.)[9]

In 1957, he was appointed director of the neglectedNew Shakespeare Theatrein Liverpool. He brought a number of notable productions to the theatre, such asA View from the Bridge,Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,The Rose TattooandBus Stop.It was also transformed into a lively arts centre as a result of including other cultural attractions, such as films, lectures, jazz concerts and art exhibits.[7]

As a result of all his various activities, Wanamaker became London's "favourite American actor and director", notedThe Guardian.[7]In 1959, he joined theShakespeare Memorial Theatrecompany atStratford-upon-Avon,playingIagotoPaul Robeson'sOthelloinTony Richardson's production that year.[10]In the 1960s and 1970s, he produced or directed several works at venues including theRoyal Opera House,Covent Garden,and directed theShakespeareBirthday Celebrations in 1974.[citation needed]

As a director and actor, he worked in films and television, with a role inThe Spiral Staircase(1974). Wanamaker eventually returned to Hollywood films includingPrivate Benjamin(1980),Superman IV: The Quest for Peace(1987), andBaby Boom(1987). He was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Seriesfor his performance in the 1978ABCtelevision miniseriesHolocaust.

In 1968, he produced and directed the pilot episode of the Western TV seriesLancer;afictionalized versionof this is depicted in the 2019 filmOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood,and 2021novelizationwith Wanamaker portrayed byNicholas Hammondin the film.

He also directed stage productions, including the world premiere production ofMichael Tippett's operaThe Ice Break.[11]In 1980, he directedGiuseppe Verdi's operaAidastarringLuciano PavarottiatSan Francisco Opera(now broadcast version released as DVD). He was also featured as the widowed and ruthless department store owner Simon Berrenger on the short-lived television dramaBerrenger'sin 1985.

Restoring the Globe theatre

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He was a hard-headed romantic—and a genuinely courteous man—driven by a passion for Shakespeare. The Globe will be his lasting monument.

—The Guardian,London[7]

In 1970 Wanamaker's career took a dramatic turn after he was annoyed that while a number of replicas of the Globe theatre existed in the United States, the site of the original in London was marked by only a plaque on a nearby brewery. He then made it his goal to restore an exact replica of the Globe to feature plays and a museum.[7]

It became Wanamaker's "great obsession" to restore Shakespeare's Globe at its original location. He secured financial support from philanthropists and fellow lovers of Shakespeare, such asSamuel H. Scripps,to see that it would be created.[7]Wanamaker then founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust, which raised well over ten million dollars.[7]

London's restored Globe theatre in 2014

Though, as in the late 16th and 17th centuries, the 20th century Royal family were more or less supportive, British officialdom was far less so, since they wanted to develop the site for new high-rise housing and commercial use.[7]English Heritage,which controlled the site, refused to give Wanamaker the precise dimensions of the original Globe.[12][13]

According to Karl Meyer ofThe New York Times:

The Shakespeare project helped Mr. Wanamaker keep his sanity and dignity intact. On his first visit to London in 1949, he had sought traces of the original theatre and was astonished to find only a blackened plaque on an unused brewery. He found this neglect inexplicable, and in 1970 launched the Shakespeare Globe Trust, later obtaining the building site and necessary permissions despite a hostile local council. He siphoned his earnings as actor and director into the project, undismayed by the scepticism of his British colleagues.[12]

On the south bank of theRiver Thamesin London, near where the modern recreation ofShakespeare's Globestands today, is a plaque that reads: "In Thanksgiving for Sam Wanamaker, Actor, Director, Producer, 1919–1993, whose vision rebuilt Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Bankside in this parish".[12]There is ablue plaqueon the river-side wall of the theatre,[14]and the site's Jacobean indoor theatre, opened in January 2014, is named theSam Wanamaker Playhouseafter him.[15]

Plaque honoring Wanamaker's restoration

For his work in reconstructing the Globe theatre, Wanamaker, in July 1993, was made an honoraryCommander of the Order of the British Empire(CBE).[4]He was also honoured with theBenjamin Franklin Medalby theRoyal Society of Artsin recognition of his contribution to theatre.

When multi-Tony Award-winning British actorMark Rylanceaccepted his third Tony on stage in New York City during the televised ceremonies on June 8, 2014, he did so with a note of thanks to Wanamaker.

Personal life

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In 1940, Wanamaker married Canadian actress Charlotte Holland.

In the 1970s, he reportedly entered into a long-lasting personal relationship with the American actressJan Sterling.In the 2014 memoirI Said Yes to Everything,Lee Grantclaimed that during production of the filmVoyage of the Damned(1976), Wanamaker engaged in an affair with British actressLynne Frederick,who was 21 at the time.[16]

ActressZoë Wanamakeris his daughter, and film historianMarc Wanamakeris his nephew.[17]

Death

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Wanamaker died oflung cancerin London on December 18, 1993, aged 74,[18][19]before the grand opening of the Globe byQueen Elizabeth IIon June 12, 1997.[20]He was survived by three daughters, Abby,Zoë,and Jessica.

Filmography

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Actor

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Television

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  • Holocaust(1978 TV Mini-Series) as Moses Weiss
  • Cameo Theatrein "Manhattan Footstep" (episode # 1.4) June 7, 1950
  • Danger Man– as Patrick Laurence in "The Lonely Chair" (episode # 1.8) October 30, 1960
  • The Defenders– as Dr. Ralph Ames in "The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms" (episode # 1.7) October 28, 1961
  • The Defenders– as James Henry David in "A Book for Burning" (episode # 2.27) March 30, 1963
  • Man of the World– as Nicko in "The Bandit" (episode # 2.1) May 11, 1963
  • Espionage– as Sprague in "Festival of Pawns" (episode # 1.10) December 11, 1963
  • The Outer Limits– as Dr. Simon Holm in "A Feasibility Study"(episode # 1.29) April 13, 1964
  • The Defenders– as Edward Banter in "Hollow Triumph" (episode # 3.35) June 20, 1964
  • The Defenders– as United States Attorney Brooker in "A Taste of Ashes" (episode # 4.8) November 12, 1964
  • The Wild Wild West– as Dr. Arcularis in "The Night of the Howling Light" (episode # 1.14) December 17, 1965
  • Gunsmoke– as Asa Longworth in "Parson Comes to Town" (episode # 11.31) April 30, 1966
  • Run for Your Life– as Major Joe Rankin in two episodes
  • The Baron– as Sefton Folkard in "You Can't Win Them All" (episode # 1.19) February 1, 1967
  • Judd for the Defense– as Shelly Gould in "The Gates of Cerberus" (episode # 2.8) November 15, 1968
  • Thirty-Minute Theatrein "A Wen" (episode # 1.233) December 27, 1971
  • Rafferty– as Hollander in "Rafferty" (Pilot) (episode # 1.1) September 5, 1977
  • Return of the Saint– as Domenico in "Dragonseed" (episode # 1.22) February 25, 1979

Director

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Notes

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  1. ^TheBBCdocumentaryWho Do You Think You Are?broadcast on February 24, 2009, revealed that the FBI had kept a substantial investigation file for him, including incriminating witness statements, and that theHouse Un-American Activities Committeehad intended to subpoena him as a witness. His activities were also reportedly monitored byMI5.[6]

References

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  1. ^"Who do you think you are – Zoë Wanamaker" BBC/2008.
  2. ^"Obituaries: Sam Wanamaker".The Daily Telegraph.December 20, 1993. p. 21.RetrievedMay 26,2023– via Newspapers.com.The son of Russian Jews who had fled the 1905 pogrom and found work in the Chicago rag trade, he was born Sam Watenmaker on June 14 1919...
  3. ^"'Madam Hooch' rides her broomstick in from Odessa: Actress Zoë Wanamaker offers a glimpse into her family history"Archived3 March 2016 at theWayback Machine
  4. ^ab"Actor Sam Wanamaker, 74; rebuilt Globe Theater",Chicago Tribune,December 19, 1993
  5. ^Hobe (November 24, 1948). "Legitimate: Play on Broadway – Gooodbye My Fancy".Variety.172(12): 50.
  6. ^Michael Buchanan (August 31, 2009)."Sam Wanamaker 'monitored by MI5'".BBC News.
  7. ^abcdefghij"Hard-headed Romantic",The Guardian,London, December 20, 1993
  8. ^"The McCarthy Era Kept Him Away",St. Louis Post-Dispatch,January 23, 1985
  9. ^"Threepenny Opera".Archived fromthe originalon April 30, 2006.
  10. ^Martin Duberman,Paul Robeson,The New Press, New York, 1989, p. 476.
  11. ^Inlay notes to recording on Virgin Classics VC 7 91448-2.
  12. ^abcEdward Chaney,"Sam Wanamaker's Global Legacy",Salisbury Review,June 1995, pp. 38–40.
  13. ^"Sam Wanamaker's Great Obsession", by Karl E. Meyer,The New York Times,December 29, 1996.
  14. ^Louise Jury (February 24, 2012)."Globe theatre appeal… stage two".Evening Standard.Archived fromthe originalon February 26, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 24,2012.
  15. ^Moore, Rowan (January 12, 2014)."Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – review".The Observer.RetrievedJanuary 21,2014.
  16. ^Grant, Lee (2014).I said yes to everything: a memoir(1st ed.). Plume. p. 302.ISBN9780147516282.
  17. ^"Marc Wanamaker".IMDB.com.Internet Movie Database.RetrievedJune 2,2019.
  18. ^"SAM WANAMAKER, ACTOR AND DIRECTOR, DIES AT 74".Washington Post.January 5, 2024.ISSN0190-8286.RetrievedJune 10,2024.
  19. ^Obituary for Sam Wanamaker,The New York Times,December 19, 1993.
  20. ^"Shakespeare's Globe:: Sam Wanamaker".Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2008.RetrievedSeptember 12,2007.
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