Elia Kazan

Elia Kazan was a Greek-American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor who worked in theater and film. Born in Constantinople and brought to the United States as a child, he studied at Williams College and the Yale School of Drama before acting professionally for eight years and joining the Group Theatre in 1932. He co-founded the Actors Studio in 1947 and directed stage plays including The Skin of Our Teeth, Death of a Salesman, and A Streetcar Named Desire. On screen he turned to issue driven dramas, beginning with Gentleman's Agreement, which brought him his first Academy Award for Best Director, followed by Pinky, A Streetcar Named Desire, Panic in the Streets (1950), and On the Waterfront, which won Best Picture and another directing Oscar. He also directed East of Eden and Splendor in the Grass, and acted in City for Conquest (1940).