Overview (4)
| Date of Birth | 11 October 1918, New York City, New York, USA |
| Date of Death | 29 July 1998, New York City, New York, USA (stroke) |
| Birth Name | Jerome Rabinowitz |
| Nickname | Jerry |
Mini Bio (1)
Jerome Robbins was born on October 11, 1918 in New York City, New York, USA as Jerome Rabinowitz. He is known for his work on West Side Story (1961), On the Town (1949) and Fiddler on the Roof (1971). He died on July 29, 1998 in New York City.
Trivia (14)
In May, 1953, Robbins was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He admitted to having belonged to the American Communist Party's Theatrical Transient Group between 1943 and 1947, and also named eight colleagues as members.
Ballet choreographer.
Co-Ballet Master at the New York City Ballet.
Won five Tony Awards: as Best Choreographer, in 1948 for "High Button Shoes" and in 1958 for "West Side Story;" as both Best Director (Musical) and Best Choreographer, in 1965 for "Fiddler on the Roof;" and as Best Director (Musical) in 1989 for "Jerome Robbins' Broadway." He was nominated four other times: as Best Choreographer, in 1957 with Bob Fosse for "Bells Are Ringing;" as Best Director (Musical), in 1960 for "Gypsy;" and, two in 1963, as Producer (Dramatic) and as co-producer of Best Play nominee "Mother Courage and Her Children"
Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 517-519. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1988 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
When he and Robert Wise won the Best Director Oscar in 1962 for West Side Story (1961), it was the first time that a directing Oscar was shared among collaborators.
Only three times in Academy Award history have director-collaborators been nominated for Best Directing Oscars: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for West Side Story (1961), Warren Beatty and Buck Henry for Heaven Can Wait (1978) and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men (2007). (Wise/Robbins and the Coens actually won the award).
The only individual to win the Best Director Academy Award for their sole feature film directorial credit.
Studied at New York University and at the Dance Center in Manhattan. Made his debut on the stage in a 1937 production of the Yiddish Art Theater.
Joined the New York City Ballet in 1948 at the prompting of its artistic director George Balanchine.
A precocious talent, he played piano at the age of three.
His first ballet, "Fancy Free", served as the basis for the stage musical and motion picture On the Town (1949)).
Known to be emotionally volatile and ruthlessly demanding of his collaborators.