Woody Allen

 

Mia Farrow + Barbara Hershey + Dianne Wiest in Hannah and her sistersDiane Keaton + Woody Allen in Annie HallWoody Allen in Crimes and Misdemeanors

Biography

Woody Allen

Woody Allen
Most of the time I don't have much fun.
The rest of the time I don't have any fun at all

Remarkable:

Cassandra’s Dream

Born:

December 1, 1935

Born as:

Allen Stewart Konigsberg

Konigsberg started writing comedy material for television stars while still an adolescent. In 1961 he began performing his own material in Greenwich village cafés. Woody broke into films in 1965 as both screenwriter and performer in What's new pussycat?.

In the seventies Allen wrote, directed and acted in a string of highly successful comedies. 1977's Annie Hall was a breakthrough movie and from that point on, Woody's films became more serious, starting with Interiors (1978), a heavy, Bergman-influenced drama.

Allen has a history of casting his significant others for his films; Louise Lasser in the sixties, Diane Keaton in the seventies and Mia Farrow in the eighties. Farrow and Allen became international gossip fodder in 1992 when he was forced to admit a romantic liaison with her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. This unprecedented publicity gave unexpected notoriety to Allen's concurrently released Husbands and Wives (1992) because of the dialogue between Allen and Farrow.

Selected Movies:

Academy awards:

1998 Nominated Best Writing for: Deconstructing Harry (1997)
1996 Nominated Best Writing for: Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
1995 Nominated Best Director for: Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
1995 Nominated Best Writing for: Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
1993 Nominated Best Writing for: Husbands and Wives (1992)
1991 Nominated Best Writing for: Alice (1990)
1990 Nominated Best Director for: Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
1990 Nominated Best Writing for: Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
1988 Nominated Best Writing for: Radio Days (1987)
1987 Won Oscar Best Writing for: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
1987 Nominated Best Director for: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
1986 Nominated Best Writing for: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
1985 Nominated Best Director for: Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
1985 Nominated Best Writing for: Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
1980 Nominated Best Writing for: Manhattan (1979)
1979 Nominated Best Director for: Interiors (1978)
1979 Nominated Best Writing for: Interiors (1978)
1978 Won Oscar Best Director for: Annie Hall (1977)
1978 Won Oscar Best Writing for: Annie Hall (1977)
1978 Nominated Best Actor for: Annie Hall (1977)

 

The Brooklyn bridge in Manhattan

Rumours and new films

Within 29 weeks a new movie, Untitled Spanish Project, will be released (December 1, 2008)

Trivia

Woody held a secret premiere of his new film Cassandra's Dream in the Spanish city of Aviles on June 18th, ahead of its official unveiling at the Venice film festival (August 29 to September 8). Source / More (Web)

News

This week 8 years ago Small time crooks premiered (May 19, 2000)

On the night he was awarded his Oscars, Allen remained in New York playing clarinet with his jazz band at Michael’s pub. Source / More (Book)

After Allen’s affair with his step daughter Soon Yi Previn was discovered, Frank Sinatra offered to have Woody’s legs broken. Source / More (Book)

Woody has thirteen Academy Award nominations for writing. That’s more than anyone else.

Woody has little confidence in his films. Only The purple rose of Cairo, Hannah and her sisters and Husbands and wifes are exeptions. Source / More (Web)

Allen says that as a film-maker, he gives himself a B. And that he would never make a movie as good as Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. Allen: “I feel that level of greatness is not in me&rd. [] It may just not be in the genes, or I just don’t have the depth of humanity to do that” Source / More (Web)

Bibliography