Elia Kazan (Film director, Screenwriter, Film producer, Writer, Actor)

Elia Kazan was deeply influenced by his upbringing in a Greek Orthodox home and used his experiences to create art in many forms throughout his life. He was a writer, an actor, a director, and a producer who was able to capture the complex nuances of the human experience in often controversial ways. He was a pioneering genius who used his vision to create powerful films, pushing the boundaries of storytelling and film making throughout his career.

Elia Kazan was married three times in his life. His first marriage was to playwright Molly Day Thacher, which lasted until her death in 1963. Together they raised two daughters and two sons, including screenwriter Nicholas Kazan. His second marriage, to the actress Barbara Loden, produced one son before her death in 1980. His third marriage, to Frances Rudge, lasted until his death in 2003.

Kazan used the 1885 farmhouse in Sandy Hook, Connecticut as a summer and weekend retreat for himself and his family, until 1998 when the property was put up for sale. In 1978, the U.S. government paid for Kazan and his family to travel to his birthplace where many of his films were to be shown. During his speech, he discussed his films and his personal and business life in the U.S., along with his opinions of the role of the U.S. as a world model. He believed that free individuals should be encouraged, and that the struggle of freedom should be the primary focus. In 2003, at the age of 94, Kazan passed away from natural causes in his Manhattan apartment.

1. Won two Academy Awards for Best Director (for Viva Zapata! in 1952 and On the Waterfront in 1954).

2. Directed, wrote, and produced such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), East of Eden (1955), and Splendor in the Grass (1961).

3. Was a longtime supporter and advocate of "method acting," a dramatic technique associated with the Group Theatre and Actors Studio in the mid-20th century.

4. Named one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century by Time magazine.

5. Received an honorary Academy Award in 1999 for lifetime achievement.

6. Named the first recipient of the Honorary Medal of the International Federation of Film Producers in 1987.

7. Celebrated for over 40 years of work in television, film, and the theater.

8. Authored four works of fiction, including America America (1963), The Arrangement (1967), and The Assassins (1972).

9. Co-founded the Playwrights Company, a theater group that produced several of his plays.

10. Created a number of acclaimed memoirs and essays, including A Life (1987), Elia Kazan: A Director’s Journey (1994), and Kazan on Directing (2009).