2950 West 25 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224 United States
In his early years, Allen attended Public School 99 (present-day the Isaac Asimov School for Science and Literature).
Gallery of Woody Allen
1953
Allen as a high school senior
Gallery of Woody Allen
2839 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11210, United States
In 1953, Woody finished Midwood High School.
College/University
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New York University, New York, NY 10003, United States
In 1953, Woody enrolled at New York University, where he studied communication and film. He would soon drop out of the educational establishment after failing the course "Motion Picture Production".
Gallery of Woody Allen
160 Convent Ave, New York, NY 10031, United States
In 1954, Allen attended the City College of New York, where he studied film. However, he left the college while still a freshman.
Career
Gallery of Woody Allen
1965
Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers, Capucine, Romy Schneider, Clive Donner, Eddra Gale, Paula Prentiss and Katrin Schaake in "What's New Pussycat".
Gallery of Woody Allen
1965
Woody Allen and Katrin Schaake in "What's New Pussycat".
Gallery of Woody Allen
1965
Woody Allen and Katrin Schaake in "What's New Pussycat".
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1967
Woody Allen and Daliah Lavi in "Casino Royale".
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1969
Woody Allen in "Take the Money and Run".
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1973
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in "Sleeper".
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1975
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in "Love and Death".
Gallery of Woody Allen
1975
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in "Love and Death".
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1975
Woody Allen in "Love and Death".
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1977
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in "Annie Hall".
Gallery of Woody Allen
1977
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in "Annie Hall".
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1977
Woody Allen and Gordon Willis in "Annie Hall".
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1979
Woody Allen in "Manhattan".
Gallery of Woody Allen
1979
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in "Manhattan".
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1979
Woody Allen and Mariel Hemingway in "Manhattan".
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1980
Woody Allen and Charlotte Rampling in "Stardust Memories".
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1984
Woody Allen in "Broadway Danny Rose".
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1984
Woody Allen and Herb Reynolds in "Broadway Danny Rose".
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1984
Woody Allen and Mia Farrow in "Broadway Danny Rose".
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1984
Woody Allen in "Broadway Danny Rose".
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1986
Woody Allen and Mia Farrow in "Hannah and Her Sisters".
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1989
Woody Allen in "New York Stories".
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1989
Woody Allen and Mia Farrow in "New York Stories".
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1989
Woody Allen, Alan Alda, Daryl Hannah and Joanna Gleason in "Crimes and Misdemeanors".
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1993
Woody Allen and Anjelica Huston in "Manhattan Murder Mystery".
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1996
Woody Allen, Alan Alda and Goldie Hawn in "Everyone Says I Love You".
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1997
Woody Allen and Kirstie Alley in "Deconstructing Harry".
Gallery of Woody Allen
2001
Woody Allen in "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion".
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2003
Woody Allen, Christina Ricci and Stockard Channing in "Anything Else".
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2003
Woody Allen and Jason Biggs in "Anything Else".
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2005
Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson in "Match Point".
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2006
Woody Allen, Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson in "Scoop".
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2008
Woody Allen, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona".
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2012
Woody Allen, Judy Davis, Alison Pill and Flavio Parenti in "To Rome with Love".
Gallery of Woody Allen
2016
Woody Allen in "Crisis in Six Scenes".
Gallery of Woody Allen
2016
Woody Allen and Miley Cyrus in "Crisis in Six Scenes".
Achievements
Membership
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2001
In 2001, Allen was made a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Awards
Academy Award
2002
Woody Allen at an event for the 74th Annual Academy Awards.
Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers, Capucine, Romy Schneider, Clive Donner, Eddra Gale, Paula Prentiss and Katrin Schaake in "What's New Pussycat".
Woody Allen and son Satchel O'Sullivan Farrow during Julia Roberts on Location for Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You" on October 8, 1995, in New York City.
4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001, United States
Woody Allen, his wife Soon-Yi Previn and their children attend the New York Knicks game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2005 in New York City.
New York University, New York, NY 10003, United States
In 1953, Woody enrolled at New York University, where he studied communication and film. He would soon drop out of the educational establishment after failing the course "Motion Picture Production".
(After three decades of prodigious film work and some unfo...)
After three decades of prodigious film work and some unfortunate tabloid adventures, it's easy to forget, that Woody Allen began his career as one heck of a great comedy writer. "Getting Even", a collection of his late 1960's magazine pieces, offers a look into Allen's bag of shtick, back when it was new.
(Woody Allen is an accomplished film actor and director, b...)
Woody Allen is an accomplished film actor and director, brilliant monologist and gifted prose stylist. In this book, selections from his best, wittiest and most profound work in every area have been gathered together for the first time.
("The Insanity Defense" reveals many sides of Woody Allen ...)
"The Insanity Defense" reveals many sides of Woody Allen as he holds forth on the most human of urges, reflects on death and notes the effect on history, wrought by trick chewing gum, the dribble glass and other novelties.
(When a bumbling New Yorker is dumped by his activist girl...)
When a bumbling New Yorker is dumped by his activist girlfriend, he travels to a tiny Latin American nation and becomes involved in its latest rebellion.
(A neurotic film critic, obsessed with the movie "Casablan...)
A neurotic film critic, obsessed with the movie "Casablanca" (1942), attempts to get over his wife, leaving him by dating again with the help of a married couple and his illusory idol, Humphrey Bogart.
(At a summer house in Vermont, neighbor Howard falls in lo...)
At a summer house in Vermont, neighbor Howard falls in love with Lane, who's in a relationship with Peter, who's falling for Stephanie, who's married with children.
(A small New Mexican village discovers a severed hand, tha...)
A small New Mexican village discovers a severed hand, that is considered a miracle of God, when it actually belongs to a murdered spouse with a husband in search of it.
(Sally's parents' marriage breaks up, when her father unde...)
Sally's parents' marriage breaks up, when her father undergoes a mid-life crisis and impulsively weds a prostitute. Meanwhile, Sally's own marriage also begins to disintegrate.
(A New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arri...)
A New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks a million, but isn't bringing money, peace or love.
(On Coney Island in the 1950's, a lifeguard tells the stor...)
On Coney Island in the 1950's, a lifeguard tells the story of a middle-aged carousel operator, his beleaguered wife and the visitor, who turns their lives upside-down.
("Crisis in Six Scenes" is a comedy, that takes place in t...)
"Crisis in Six Scenes" is a comedy, that takes place in the 1960's during turbulent times in the United States and a middle class suburban family is visited by a guest, who turns their household completely upside down.
Woody Allen is a notable American motion-picture director, screenwriter, actor, comedian, playwright, musician and author, who gained prominence for his bittersweet comic films, containing elements of parody, slapstick and the absurd. He is also known for his weighty dramas, often with dark themes and bleak landscapes, reminiscent of the work of Swedish director - Ingmar Bergman.
Background
Ethnicity:
Allen was born into a Jewish family. Woody's paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants, while his maternal grandparents were Austrian Jewish immigrants.
Woody Allen was born on November 30, 1935, in New York City, New York, United States, into the family of Nettie (Cherry) Konigsberg, a bookkeeper, and Martin Konigsberg, a jewelry engraver and waiter. Woody's paternal grandparents were Isaac Koenigsberg and Jennie Copplin. Leon Cherry and Sarah Hoff were his maternal grandparents.
Letty Aronson, a film producer, is Allen's younger sister.
Education
Woody had a rough childhood. His parents didn't get on well and Woody had a complicated relationship with his mother. Allen attended Hebrew school for eight years. Later, he also studied at Public School 99 (present-day the Isaac Asimov School for Science and Literature). It was in 1953, that Woody finished Midwood High School.
It's worth saying, that, as a boy, Woody was fond of sports, magic, motion pictures and jazz, taking up the clarinet as a teenager, though his musical idol was saxophonist Sidney Bechet. While still in high school, using the name Woody Allen, he began submitting quips to newspaper columnists - most notably to the nationally syndicated Earl Wilson. Before long, as Woody Allen, he was being paid to write jokes for entertainers. He earned more money, than both of his parents combined.
After high school, in 1953, Woody enrolled at New York University, where he studied communication and film. He would soon drop out of the educational establishment after failing the course "Motion Picture Production". In 1954, Allen attended the City College of New York, where he studied film. However, he left the college while still a freshman. Later, Allen also studied writing under the guidance of Lajos Egri.
It's worth saying, that, in June 2007, Allen received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.
While still in high school, using the name Woody Allen, he began writing jokes (or "gags") to newspaper columnists. Then, Woody earned money by writing jokes for entertainers. In 1956, Allen began writing for television and in 1958, he joined Sid Caesar's writing staff alongside Larry Gelbart and Mel Brooks. In 1960, Allen moved to the Garry Moore Show. At this time, he also began performing stand-up comedy at clubs in Greenwich Village, which led to guest appearances on television and to several comedy albums.
At the time, when Woody performed stand-up in a nightclub in 1964, he impressed actress Shirley MacLaine and producer Charles K. Feldman, who gave him a chance to write the screenplay for the film "What's New, Pussycat?" (1965), in which he also acted.
Woody's dubut as a film director was with the film "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" (1966). He made it by redubbing a James Bond-like Japanese action film, "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" (1965), and shifting its focus to the pursuit of a top-secret recipe for egg salad. The following year, in 1967, Woody assumed the role of Bond's nephew in "Casino Royale". At that time, he was also writing a play, titled "Don't Drink the Water", which won acclaim on Broadway.
It's worth saying, that the late 1960's marked Allen's first contribution to The New Yorker. Writing initially in the style of S. J. Perelman, Allen would go on to contribute dozens of sophisticated humour pieces to the magazine over several decades; these pieces were collected in books, such as "Without Feathers" (1975) and "Getting Even" (1978).
In 1969, Allen's film, "Take the Money and Run", was released. An uneven, but often riotously funny pseudo-documentary, it was cowritten by Mickey Rose and Allen, who starred as a hopelessly inept thief, who apparently learned his trade from watching old Warner Brothers prison films. Made for under $2 million, the film did well enough to earn Allen a three-picture deal with United Artists Corporation, for whom he would continue to make films throughout the 1970's.
Before starting to work on another film, Allen starred on Broadway from 1969 to 1970 in a play, that he had written, the romantic comedy "Play It Again, Sam". In the 1972 Herbert Ross-directed film adaptation of the play, Woody assumed the role of a shy film critic, who seeks romantic advice from an apparition of Humphrey Bogart. "Bananas" (1971), the first of Allen's directorial efforts for United Artists, starred him as a hapless, neurotic Manhattanite, who is drawn into a revolution in a fictional Central American country. Though somewhat undisciplined, "Bananas" offered snatches of absurdist humour, that rank among Allen's funniest film moments.
In the film, titled "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* But Were Afraid to Ask" (1972), Woody satirized David Reuben's popular sex manual with mixed results. In "Sleeper" (1973), Allen appeared as a neurotic health-food mogul, who goes into the hospital for a simple operation and awakens 200 years later to learn, that doctors had frozen him and that he is now a stranger in an even stranger land.
After Woody's excellent performance as the protagonist in "The Front" (1976), Martin Ritt's fine drama about Hollywood blacklisting, Allen made "Annie Hall" (1977), a breakthrough work, that dramatically elevated his status as a filmmaker. An elliptical account of the rise and fall of a romance between the quirky title character and a comedy writer, it was Allen's first attempt to blend genuine sentiment with his patented theatre-of-the-ridiculous. An elliptical account of the rise and fall of a romance between the quirky title character (played by Diane Keaton) and a comedy writer (Allen), it was Allen's first attempt to blend genuine sentiment with his patented theatre-of-the-ridiculous. Although Allen denied its origins in autobiography, the poignant love story almost certainly mirrored some aspects of the real-life relationship, that had transpired between Keaton and Allen. The film also marked the emergence of the distinctive on-screen persona, that many came to believe was merely an extension of the off-screen Allen: a neurotic, erudite, wisecracking, moralistic, phobia-ridden pessimist, who is obsessed with his mortality, but finds solace for his existential despair in art and love and who is at base a mensch. Audiences and critics alike were charmed by "Annie Hall", which won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Keaton), Best Director and Best Screenplay (Allen and collaborator Marshall Brickman). Allen, however, astounded Hollywood by choosing not to attend the Academy Award ceremony, but instead to play clarinet at Michael's Pub in Manhattan, as he usually did on Monday nights.
Keaton went on to star for Allen in "Interiors" (1978). It was was a carefully crafted homage to the weighty psychodramas of Ingmar Bergman. Renouncing humour, this tale of a dysfunctional family received a mixed reaction from critics, some of whom saw it as decidedly pretentious. Despite the film's poor showing at the box office, Allen received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
"Manhattan" (1979) restored Allen's covenant with his fans. Lyrically photographed (in black-and-white, by Gordon Willis), deftly written (by Allen and Brickman, whose screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award) and wonderfully scored (with music by George Gershwin), it was an ode to the city, that Allen loved. More polished and less sentimental, than "Annie Hall", while possessing the depth of "Interiors", "Manhattan" has some claim to being Allen's best film, although it did not enjoy the broad success of "Annie Hall".
In the 1980's, Allen enjoyed the admiration of filmgoers, critics and film industry professionals alike. After a decade of working with United Artists, Allen switched the financing of his films to Orion Pictures. Producers Arthur Krim and Eric Pleskow, whom Allen followed from United Artists to Orion, continued to allow him the creative freedom to make movies his way - with relatively modest budgets, exquisite scripts, that still left room for improvisation by actors and intricately coordinated movement and cinematography, that allowed for long takes so that much of Allen's editing was done with the camera rather than in postproduction. The expectation was that his films would earn significantly more in foreign release, than in the United States.
in "Stardust Memories" (1980), Woody imitated the style of Italian director Federico Fellini. In this film, Allen assumed the role of a filmmaker, who seems to hate his fans. Despite the ensuing hue and cry, Allen told an Esquire interviewer in 1987, that "the best film he ever did was "Stardust Memories".
Better received, but unremarkable was "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" (1982), the film, that mixes fairies and moonstruck lovers on a country estate. It's also worth saying, that this film marked the beginning of Woody's collaboration with his off-screen partner, actress Mia Farrow. Then, "Zelig" (1983) followed. The film uses special-effects wizardry to tell the story of a human chameleon, who achieved a peculiar kind of fame in the 1920's.
"Broadway Danny Rose" (1984), shot in black and white, transforms present-day New York into a never-neverland of show-business losers for a poignant romance between a brassy beauty and a hapless agent. Charming, but ultimately downbeat, "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985) was the poignant story of a cinema-going Depression-era shop girl (Farrow), whose lacklustre life is enlivened, when a swashbuckling actor (Jeff Daniels) literally walks off the screen and into her world.
After earning Academy Award nominations for the screenplays of "Broadway Danny Rose" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo", Allen won that award for his next film, "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986), a complex modern romance, that examined the travails of three couples. Its superb ensemble cast included Mia Farrow as Hannah; Michael Caine as her husband, who is smitten by one of Hannah's sisters (Barbara Hershey); Dianne Wiest as another sister; and Allen, in a self-effacingly sweet performance as Hannah's ex-husband. "Radio Days" (1987) was a nostalgic, but rambling valentine to the New York City of Allen's youth in the early 1940's and to the glory days of radio. Allen received another Academy Award nomination for its screenplay.
While "September" (1987) was an unwieldy return to the psychodramatic territory of "Interiors", Allen fared better, when he took a Bergmanesque approach with "Another Woman" (1988), in which Gena Rowlands was superb as a philosophy professor, who undergoes a life-changing epiphany. Much of the credit for the film's impact was due to the contribution of Sven Nykvist, the cinematographer for many of Ingmar Bergman's greatest films.
Allen's hilarious contribution to the triptych "New York Stories" (1989) about an attorney, whose nagging mother (Mae Questel) transmogrifies into an omniscient spectre, was widely acknowledged to be the film's strongest segment. Allen's next project, "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989), ranks among his finest films. An ambitious Fyodor Dostoyevsky-like meditation on the nature of evil and culpability, it centred on Martin Landau's portrayal of an ophthalmologist, who wrestles with guilt after ordering the murder of his mistress (Anjelica Huston) to prevent her from revealing their affair to his wife (Claire Bloom). In counterpoint, Allen plays a married documentary filmmaker, who lusts after a producer (Farrow).
Before Allen and Farrow's off-screen relationship ended in a bitter child-custody suit, the two made three more films together: "Alice" (1990), a fairy tale, recalling their early collaborations, in which a neglected housewife discovers love and life with the help of a Chinese herbalist, who dispenses magic potions; "Shadows and Fog" (1992), a comic salute to the novels of Franz Kafka, set in a Middle European country out of some German silent film, and "Husbands and Wives" (1992). By this point Allen and Farrow had long been involved romantically. Although they never married, they famously lived across New York's Central Park from each other, shared the parenting of two of the several children Farrow had adopted and had a son together.
The lighthearted "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993) featured the return of Keaton as Allen's leading lady, playing an amateur sleuth, who stumbles into a Rear Window-like scenario, in which she suspects, that a neighbour has committed a murder. "Bullets over Broadway" (1994), which starred John Cusack as a Prohibition-era playwright, who finds his first Broadway effort transformed through the interference of a mobster and the protests of a theatrical grande dame (Wiest), earned Allen an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Praise was scarcer for the made-for-television version of "Don't Drink the Water" (1994), that Allen directed and in which he starred.
As the decade progressed, Allen continued to release at least one film per year. "Mighty Aphrodite" (1995) benefited from a typically stellar cast and an especially strong performance by Mira Sorvino, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the film. As a musical, "Everyone Says I Love You" (1996) was something quite different for Allen. Moreover, he filmed his star-studded cast (Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts and Edward Norton) not only in New York, but also in Paris and Venice. In the darkly comic "Deconstructing Harry" (1997), Allen played a writer, who has used his own life as the basis for his art, much to the displeasure of his friends and family. Then, "Celebrity" (1998) followed. Shot in black-and-white by Nykvist - with a cast, that included Kenneth Branagh, Leonardo DiCaprio, Winona Ryder, Charlize Theron and Joe Mantegna - the film looked great, but was considered a minor entry in Allen's oeuvre. In the more-focused "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999), Sean Penn turned in a memorable performance as a mythic 1930's jazz guitarist.
"Small Time Crooks" (2000) was Allen's first film with the DreamWorks studio and represented a change in direction - Allen began giving more interviews and made an attempt to return to his slapstick roots. The film is similar to the 1942 film "Larceny, Inc." (from a play by S. J. Perelman). Allen never commented on whether this was deliberate or if his film was in any way inspired by it. "Small Time Crooks" was a relative financial success, grossing over $17 million domestically, but Allen's next four films foundered at the box office, including Allen's most costly film, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", with a budget of $26 million. "Hollywood Ending" (2002), Anything Else (2003) and "Melinda and Melinda" (2004) were given "rotten" ratings from film-review website Rotten Tomatoes and each earned less, than $4 million domestically.
"Match Point" (2005) was one of Allen's most successful films of the decade, garnering positive reviews. Set in London, it starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson. It is markedly darker, than Allen's first four films with DreamWorks SKG. The film earned more than $23 million domestically (more than any of his films in nearly 20 years) and over $62 million in international box office sales. "Match Point" earned Allen his first Academy Award nomination since 1998 for Best Writing - Original Screenplay, with directing and writing nominations at the Golden Globes, his first Globe nominations since 1987.
Allen returned to London to film "Scoop", which also starred Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally and Allen himself. The film was released on July 28, 2006, and received mixed reviews. Then, Woody filmed "Cassandra's Dream" in London. The film was released in November 2007 and stars Colin Farrell, Ewan McGregor and Tom Wilkinson.
After finishing his third London film, Allen headed to Spain. He reached an agreement to film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" in Avilés, Barcelona and Oviedo, where shooting started on July 9, 2007. The movie stars Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall and Penélope Cruz. In April 2008, Allen began filming "Whatever Works", the film, focused more toward older audiences, and starring Larry David, Patricia Clarkson and Evan Rachel Wood. Released in 2009 and described as a dark comedy, it follows the story of a botched suicide attempt turned messy love triangle. "Whatever Works" was originally written by Allen in the 1970's and the character, played by David, was written for Zero Mostel, who died the year "Annie Hall" came out.
"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", filmed in London, stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Anupam Kher, Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts. Filming started in July 2009. It was released theatrically in the United States on September 23, 2010, following a Cannes debut in May 2010, and a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2010.
Critics had long seen Allen's focus on upper-middle- and upper-class characters, often involved in the media, as limiting. Moreover, from at least the beginning of the 21st century, there were also critics, who felt, that Allen had simply lost touch with contemporary mainstream America. "Midnight in Paris" (2011) may not have shown Allen to be anymore aware of life in middle-class America, but, as the biggest commercial success of his lengthy career to that time, it did demonstrate, that he still knew how to appeal to the average filmgoer. It was a triumph with the critics too. Owen Wilson was perfectly cast as Gil, a bohemian screenwriter, who, while visiting Paris with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams) and her insufferable parents, is magically transported back to the 1920's, when the Lost Generation reigned in the French capital. Gil has amusing philosophical conversations with Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) and Salvador Dalí, but he becomes fixated on Pablo Picasso's mistress (Marion Cotillard). The film earned Allen his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director in 25 years and he won the award for his screenplay. As usual, he did not attend the ceremony to accept it.
The next installment in Allen's informal series of paeans to the world's great cities was "To Rome with Love" (2012). With a star-studded cast, that included Cruz, Roberto Benigni, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis and Ellen Page, as well as cinematography by Darius Khondji, it showed Rome to beautiful advantage, always recalling Fellini, while presenting it through Allen's fresh and uncynical gaze.
Allen's next film, "Blue Jasmine" (2013), was filmed in San Francisco. It starred Cate Blanchett as the wife of an unscrupulous investment banker (Baldwin). After her wealth disappears, she moves in with her blue-collar sister. Reminiscent of Tennessee Williams's "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Blue Jasmine" took Allen's work in a new direction as it confronted contemporary class-related issues. His script for the film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It was his 16th nod for writing.
Later, Allen co-starred with John Turturro in "Fading Gigolo", written and directed by Turturro, which premiered in September 2013. He then wrote the book for a stage musical adaption of his 1994 movie "Bullets over Broadway". The musical, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, premiered on Broadway in 2014.
Woody next directed the film "Magic in the Moonlight" (2014), a romantic farce about a magician (Colin Firth), who attempts to prove, that a psychic (Emma Stone) is a fraud. Set in the Côte d’Azur and peopled with an amusingly droll supporting cast, the film leavened its serious inquiries about faith and reason with lavish cinematography and generous doses of arch humour.
"Irrational Man" (2015), an existentially comic thriller, set in a New England university town, featured Joaquin Phoenix as a disillusioned and dissipated philosophy professor, who decides to kill a family court judge after overhearing, that he is likely to award parental custody rights to an undeserving father. Rousing him from a period of sexual and creative impotence, the decision fuels simultaneous liaisons with a student (Stone) and a colleague's wife (Parker Posey).
In Allen's "Café Society" (2016), Jesse Eisenberg portrayed a young New Yorker, who goes to work for his talent-agent uncle (Steve Carell) in Los Angeles, where he becomes entangled with a secretary (Kristen Stewart) before returning to the Bronx to assist his gangster brother with running a nightclub. The film, Allen's first to be shot in digital, was praised for its beautiful depictions of Los Angeles, but was otherwise considered a somewhat minor effort.
It's also worth noting, that in 2016, Allen ventured into television by writing, directing and starring in the Amazon series "Crisis in Six Scenes'. He portrayed an elderly TV writer, living in upstate New York, who must contend with the social revolutions, taking place around him during the 1960's.
In 2017, Allen released his nex film, "Wonder Wheel", which starred Kate Winslet as a bored waitress on Coney Island in the 1950's, who has an affair with a younger man, a lifeguard, studying to be a playwright (Justin Timberlake). The rise of the "Me Too" movement in 2017 revived accusations against Allen and delayed the release of his next movie, "A Rainy Day in New York" (2019). The romantic comedy, which featured Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning as film students in New York City, was not released in the United States. Similarly, an intense backlash resulted in his autobiography, "Apropos of Nothing", being dropped by its original publisher in 2020 though it did appear soon thereafter.
("Crisis in Six Scenes" is a comedy, that takes place in t...)
2016
Religion
Allen grew up Jewish, but rejected the religious aspects of his upbringing later in life. He once told a biographer: "It was a joyless, unpleasant, stupid, barbaric thing, when I was a child and I've never gotten over that feeling. If you're talking about religion it's one thing; I don't hold Jewish religion with any more seriousness, than I would any other."
Allen describes himself as an agnostic, once remarking in a standup comedy routine, that his first marriage to an atheist was doomed because the couple didn't know which religion not to bring the children up in. In an interview he conducted with Billy Graham, Woody started by saying, that he hoped he "could convert the Reverend to agnosticism once the show is over."
However, some sources of information claim Woody is an atheist.
Politics
Allen tends more towards the Democrat/liberal side of things, but thinks politics is ultimately ridiculous. It's also worth saying, that Woody is a big fan of Barack Obama and once said, that the president should basically be granted a king. Allen once said: "It would be good if Obama could be dictator for a few years because he could do a lot of good things quickly."
Views
Arguably, the most common theme in Allen's films consists of religious, epistemological, existential and philosophical dimensions. The principal tenets of Allen's worldview might be delineated as follows: "Life is meaningless", "There's no God", "Death is inevitable, irrevocable and horrible", "Art is overrated and has no social value" and others.
Allen once stated, that the only way one can get through the life is distraction, achieved with art and sex. He also says, that he is afraid of sickness and death most of all.
Quotations:
"There's no real difference between a fortune teller or a fortune cookie and any of the organized religions. They're all equally valid or invalid, really. And equally helpful."
"How can I believe in God, when just last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of an electric typewriter?"
"Not only is there no God, but try finding a plumber on Sunday."
"Most of the time I don't have much fun. The rest of the time I don't have any fun at all."
"When I was kidnapped, my parents snapped into action. They rented out my room."
"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose."
"I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead. Not sick. Not wounded. Dead."
"I'm such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own."
"Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it."
"I'm very proud of my gold pocket watch. My grandfather, on his deathbed, sold me this watch."
"Life is divided into the horrible and the miserable."
"I've never been an intellectual, but I have this look."
"Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go, its pretty damn good."
"What if nothing exists and we're all in somebody's dream?"
Membership
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
,
United States
2001
Personality
Allen is an avid fan of jazz, which appears often in the soundtracks to his films. In his childhood, he started playing clarinet and took his stage name from clarinetist Woody Herman. Allen has performed publicly at least since the late 1960's, including with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on the soundtrack of "Sleeper" (1973). It's also worth saying, that, for many years, Woody and his New Orleans Jazz Band have been performing each Monday evening at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan. They specialize in New Orleans jazz from the early 20th century. Woody performs songs by Sidney Bechet, George Lewis, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone and Louis Armstrong. It's also important to say, that Allen and his band played at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on two consecutive nights in June 2008.
Woody shuns award ceremonies, citing their subjectivity. Also, he ignores them, because he does not consider the film awards something outstanding and he can not stand Los Angeles. His first and only appearance at the Academy Awards was at the 2002 Oscars, where he received a standing ovation.
Woody is a huge fan of Buster Keaton, Jean-Luc Godard and Sergei Eisenstein. Besides, he claims Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Anton Chekhov to be his idols.
Allen is a longtime fan and season ticket holder of the NBA's New York Knicks.
Woody claims he watches TV only before bed or when he's exercising. Also, he considers "Goodfellas" (1990) to be a great American movie.
Physical Characteristics:
Woody is a man of short stature.
Quotes from others about the person
"Woody is famous among his contemporaries for possessing a pure and almost abstract gift for one-liners, that could be applied to any situation, or passed on to any comic, almost impersonally." - Adam Gopnik, a writer and essayist
"Allen's clarinet won't make anyone forget Sidney Bechet, Barney Bigard or Evan Christopher. His piping tone and strings of staccato notes can't approximate melodic or lyrical phrasing. Still his earnestness and the obvious regard he has for traditional jazz counts for something." - Kirk Silsbee, a journalist and critic
"Woody's sensibilities of New York City is one of the reasons why I love his work, but they are extremely foreign to me. It's not another world; it's another planet". - Martin Scorsese, a film director, producer and actor
"It's really cool to work with a director, who's done so much, because he knows exactly, what he wants. The fact, that he does one shot for an entire scene - and this could be a scene with eight people and one to two takes - it gives you a level of confidence...he's very empowering." - Blake Lively, an actress, on acting in "Café Society" (2016), directed by Allen
Interests
Writers
Anton Chekhov
Sport & Clubs
baseball and basketball
Music & Bands
saxophonist Sidney Bechet, jazz
Connections
Woody was married three times during his lifetime. In 1956, Allen wed Harlene Rosen. However, their marriage didn't last long and the couple divorced in 1959. It was in 1966, that Allen married his second wife - Louise Lasser, whom he divorced in 1970.
It's also worth noting, that, in 1969, during the run of Broadway show "Play It Again, Sam", Allen became romantically involved with Diane Keaton, who was cast in the play. However, they separated a year later. As of 2018, Keaton and Allen remain close friends.
Reportedly, Allen also had a relationship with Stacey Nelkin, who acted in his film "Annie Hall" (1977). In December 2018, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Babi Christina Engelhardt, who said she had an eight-year affair with Allen, that began in 1976, when she was 17 years old and that she believes the character of Tracy in "Manhattan" is a composite of any number of Allen's presumed other real-life young paramours from that period. When asked, Allen declined to comment.
It was in 1979, that Woody met his partner Mia Farrow. A year later, the two began dating. During the period from 1982 to 1992, Farrow starred in 13 of Allen's films. Throughout the relationship, the couple lived in separate apartments on opposite sides of Central Park in Manhattan. Mia had seven children, when they met: three biological sons from her marriage to composer André Previn, three adopted girls (two Vietnamese and one South Korean, Soon-Yi Previn) and an adopted South Korean boy, Moses Farrow.
In 1984, Woody and Mia wanted to give a birth to their biological child. In July 1985, after the effort to get pregnant failed, Mia adopted a girl, Dylan Farrow. Woody didn't take part in adoption, but, when the girl arrived, he assumed a parental role toward her.
It was on December 19, 1987, that Farrow and Allen's biological child, Satchel Farrow (later known as Ronan Farrow), was born. According to Allen, his intimate relationship with Mia Farrow ceased completely after Satchel's birth. They maintained a working relationship and were only "social companions on those occasions, where there'd be a dinner, an event, but after the event she'd go home and he'd go home." In 1991, Farrow wanted to adopt another child. According to a 1993 custody hearing, Allen told her he would not object to another adoption so long as she would agree to his adoption of Dylan and Moses; that adoption was finalized in December 1991.
Allen's life changed dramatically in 1992 after it became public knowledge, that he and Farrow's 21-year-old adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, were having an affair. Allen and Farrow split and were often in court, as well as in the headlines, as they fought for custody of their three children. Although Farrow's allegations against him of child abuse were unproven, she won custody of the children, and Allen, whose films had established him as a paragon of virtue, was vilified by many as a hypocrite. His popularity with critics and filmgoers suffered significantly. In the wake of these events, Soon-Yi Previn became Allen's third wife - the couple married in Venice, Italy, on December 23, 1997. They have adopted two children, Bechet and Manzie, and live in the Carnegie Hill section of Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Woody Allen: A Retrospective
"Woody Allen: A Retrospective" is the first complete, film-by-film overview of Woody Allen's entire career, up to and including the 2015 release of "Irrational Man". In this illustrated biography, renowned movie critic, Tom Shone, traces Allen's entire professional life as an entertainer and director, weaving in archival and original interviews, as well as more than 250 curated photographs, movie stills and posters.
2015
The Films of Woody Allen
Sam Girgus argues, that Allen has consistently been on the cutting edge of contemporary critical and cultural consciousness. Allen continues to challenge notions of authorship, narrative, perspective, character, theme, ideology, gender and sexuality. This revised and updated edition includes two new chapters, that examine Allen's work since 1992. Girgus thoughtfully asserts, that the scandal, surrounding Allen's personal life in the early 1990's, has altered his image in ways, that reposition moral consciousness in his work.
1985
The Films of Woody Allen
This book, written by Robert Benayoun, looks at Allen's life and career, discusses each of his films and shares several interviews.
1988
The Reluctant Film Art of Woody Allen
In this second edition, Peter J. Bailey extends his classic study to consider Allen's work during the twenty-first century.
2001
The Woody Allen Book of Lists
Celebrating the prolific career of film and comedy legend, Woody Allen, "The Woody Allen Book of Lists" offers an entirely new way for his passionate fans to explore the filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician, who has been a creative force for more than six decades.
2018
Woody Allen: An Essay on the Nature of the Comical
In this extended essay, Vittorio Hösle develops a theory of the comical and applies it to interpret both the recurrent personae, played by Woody Allen, the actor, and the philosophical issues, addressed by Woody Allen as the director in his films.
2007
Woody: The Biography
In this first biography of Woody Allen in over a decade, David Evanier discusses key movies, plays and prose, as well as Allen's personal life. Evanier tackles the themes, that Allen has spent a lifetime, sorting through in art: morality, sexuality, Judaism, the eternal struggle of head and heart.
2015
Woody Allen and Philosophy: You Mean My Whole Fallacy Is Wrong?
Focusing on different works and varied aspects of Allen's multifaceted output, these essays explore the philosophical undertones of "Anne Hall", "Crimes and Misdemeanors", "Manhattan" and "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy".
2004
Woody Allen: A Photographic Celebration
This rich collection features three hundred color photographs, interspersed with quotes from famous actors, that have worked with Allen, such as Chitwetel Ejiofor, Billy Crystal, Diane Keaton and Mira Sorvino.
2014
Woody Allen: A Biography
In this edition, Eric Lax chronicles Allen's eight films, from "Shadows and Fog" to "Small Time Crooks", and offers Woody's candid opinions of his art and himself.
in 1978, for "Best Director", for "Annie Hall" (1977);
in 1987, for Best Writing, Screenplay, Written Directly for the Screen, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 2012, for Best Writing, Original Screenplay, for "Midnight in Paris" (2011)
in 1978, for "Best Director", for "Annie Hall" (1977);
in 1987, for Best Writing, Screenplay, Written Directly for the Screen, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 2012, for Best Writing, Original Screenplay, for "Midnight in Paris" (2011)
in 1986, for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, for "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985);
in 2012, for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, for "Midnight in Paris" (2011)
in 1986, for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, for "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985);
in 2012, for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, for "Midnight in Paris" (2011)
in 1978, for Best Direction. for "Annie Hall" (1977);
in 1978, for Best Screenplay, for "Annie Hall" (1977), shared with Marshall Brickman;
in 1980, for Best Screenplay, for "Manhattan" (1979), shared with Marshall Brickman;
in 1985, for Best Screenplay - Original, for "Broadway Danny Rose" (1984);
in 1986, for Best Film, for "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985), shared with Robert Greenhut;
in 1987, for Best Direction, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 1987, for Best Screenplay - Original, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 1993, for Best Screenplay - Original, for "Husbands and Wives" (1992)
in 1978, for Best Direction. for "Annie Hall" (1977);
in 1978, for Best Screenplay, for "Annie Hall" (1977), shared with Marshall Brickman;
in 1980, for Best Screenplay, for "Manhattan" (1979), shared with Marshall Brickman;
in 1985, for Best Screenplay - Original, for "Broadway Danny Rose" (1984);
in 1986, for Best Film, for "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985), shared with Robert Greenhut;
in 1987, for Best Direction, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 1987, for Best Screenplay - Original, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 1993, for Best Screenplay - Original, for "Husbands and Wives" (1992)
in 1978, for Best Non-European Film, for "Annie Hall" (1977);
in 1980, for Best Non-European Film, for "Manhattan" (1979);
in 1984, for Best Non-European Film, for "Zelig" (1983);
in 1986, for Best Non-European Film, for "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985);
in 1987, for Best Non-European Film, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 2009, for Best American Film, for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008)
in 1978, for Best Non-European Film, for "Annie Hall" (1977);
in 1980, for Best Non-European Film, for "Manhattan" (1979);
in 1984, for Best Non-European Film, for "Zelig" (1983);
in 1986, for Best Non-European Film, for "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985);
in 1987, for Best Non-European Film, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 2009, for Best American Film, for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008)
in 1984, for Best Foreign Actor, for "Zelig" (1983);
in 1985, for Best Foreign Screenplay, for "Broadway Danny Rose" (1984);
in 1987, for Best Foreign Screenplay, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 1990, for Best Foreign Screenplay, for "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989);
in 2006, for Best European Film, for "Match Point" (2005)
in 1984, for Best Foreign Actor, for "Zelig" (1983);
in 1985, for Best Foreign Screenplay, for "Broadway Danny Rose" (1984);
in 1987, for Best Foreign Screenplay, for "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986);
in 1990, for Best Foreign Screenplay, for "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989);
in 2006, for Best European Film, for "Match Point" (2005)
in 1978, for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, for "Annie Hall" (1977), shared with Robert Greenhut, Fred T. Gallo and Frederic B. Blankfein
in 1978, for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, for "Annie Hall" (1977), shared with Robert Greenhut, Fred T. Gallo and Frederic B. Blankfein
Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Non-Catalan Language Film, for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008)
in 2009, for Best Non-Catalan Language Film, for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008)
Gold Derby Award,
United States
in 2006, for Original Screenplay, for "Match Point" (2005);
in 2007 - Life Achievement;
in 2012, for Original Screenplay, for "Midnight in Paris" (2011)
in 2006, for Original Screenplay, for "Match Point" (2005);
in 2007 - Life Achievement;
in 2012, for Original Screenplay, for "Midnight in Paris" (2011)