George Abbott

American stage and film director, producer, and playwright, born in 1887. One of the most important figures in American theater, he directed and produced dozens of Broadway hits across six decades, including *The Boys from Syracuse* (1938), *Wonderful Town* (1953), and *Damn Yankees* (1955). In the late 1920s and early 1930s he also directed films in Hollywood for Paramount, including *Half Way to Heaven* (1929) and *The Cheat* (1931). He lived to be 107, dying in 1995.