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Allan Charles Neuwirth (born 1956) is an American screenwriter, producer, author, designer, and cartoonist known for his work in film, television, print, and as co-creator of the syndicated comic strip '' Chelsea Boys''."Chelsea Boys"
/ref>


Early life

Neuwirth was born in Washington Heights, New York City, and raised in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, and
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. His mother, Bella Neuwirth (née Gajzt), born in
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
but raised from infancy in
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
, Belgium, was a
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
survivor of the
Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
camps. His father, David Neuwirth, was a Jew from
Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urba ...
who fled the
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
regime, escaping to the United States with most of his siblings.toonguy12
"David O. Neuwirth, Death Record, Memorial page"
Mooseroots.com
He has a younger sister. Neuwirth earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communications Design in 1986 from
Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
.


Career


Early career

Neuwirth began his career as a staff artist in an ad agency, Carluth Studios, where he prepared print ads for
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
feature films.Laura
"Allan Neuwirth-Artist Interviews"
Animation Insider, July 22, 2014
As a freelancer, he drew editorial cartoons, illustrated magazine articles and animatics for TV commercials, designed posters for New York City's Phoenix Theatre's 1981-1982 season.Rich, Frank

The New York Times" September 28, 1981

"The New York Times" March 12, 1982
Gussow, Me

"The New York Times" December 29, 1981


Television and film

In 1979 through 1983, Neuwirth worked at The Studios of Diamond & Diaferia, an animation film production company. As a staff designer and director he created show openings, logos and motion graphics for television series including ''
ABC News Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News (United States), ABC News' Late night television in the United States, late-night television news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in the United States with a franchis ...
'', '' This Week'' with David Brinkley, ''
20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of visual perception, vision, but technically rates an animal's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity depends on optical and neural factors. Optical factors of the eye ...
'', ''ABC News Closeup'', ''
The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...
'' and the
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
network.Zahed, Ramin
"Writing Terrific Toons with Allan Neuwirth"
Animation Magazine, November 27, 2012
"Imira Acquires Classic Claymated Toon ‘Koki’"
November 26, 2012
After leaving Diamond & Diaferia, Neuwirth served as Art Director for all five seasons of the Lifetime Television Network series about parenting, ''Mother's Day'', hosted by Joan Lunden. In 1984, Neuwirth wrote jokes for television host
Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin ( ; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest-working man in show business", he held th ...
's nightclub act. Partnering with comedy writer Gary Cooper, Neuwirth continued to write material for Philbin's shows at supper clubs and hotel casinos. During this period, he also launched an independent production company, Neuwirth Design. For the next several years, Neuwirth produced TV commercials, created animated scoreboard graphics for the
New York Yankee The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...
s' 1986 and 1987 seasons, animated the special effects sequences for
Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production company, production and film distributor, distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz (producer), Michael Herz in 1974. They are the longest running independent film ...
’s feature film, '' Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.'' (1990), designed opening titles for TV movies including ''King's Ransom'', and continued to partner with Cooper writing film scripts. In 1995, Neuwirth and Cooper were hired by veteran children's television producer Nina Elias-Bamberger to co-develop ''
Big Bag ''Big Bag'' is an American live-action/animated puppet children's television series created by Nina Elias-Bamberger for Cartoon Network and Children's Television Workshop. It was targeted at preschool viewers. The show was co-produced by Carto ...
'' a puppet/animated TV series co-produced by
The Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company, Inc., formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc. (commonly referred to as Henson), is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is kn ...
and
Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and Television station, television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's ...
."Big Bag 1996-1998 Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credits listing"
/ref> The show aired on
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
from 1996 to 1998. Neuwirth and Cooper stayed on to associate produce, story edit and write many of the series’ animated shorts. Their claymation Koki cartoons for ''Big Bag'' were featured in the Sixth International Children's Television Festival at The Museum of TV & Radio (1997), and won Prix Jeunesse and New York Film Festival awards. The pair continued to write episodic television shows including '' The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss'' (their script Mystery of Winna-Bango Falls was nominated for a 1998 Writers Guild Award), ''
Courage the Cowardly Dog ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' is an American animated comedy horror television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Dilworth's animation studio, Stretch Films. The eponymous character is an anxious dog who li ...
'',"Courage the Cowardly Dog 1999-2002, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credit listing, Series Art Department listing"
/ref> ''
Gadget & the Gadgetinis ''Gadget & the Gadgetinis'' is an animated television series and the sequel of the 1983 series ''Inspector Gadget''. The series was a co-production between Fox Kids Europe, DIC Entertainment Corporation, French animation studio SIP Animation, ...
'',"Gadget and the Gadgetinis 2001-present, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credit listing"
/ref> ''
Dragon Tales ''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational Fantasy fiction, fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker, developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser, and pr ...
''"Dragon Tales-It Happened One Nightmare/Staying Within the Lines, 1999, Other Crew, Executive Script Consultant"
/ref> and season two of '' Fix and Foxi'',"Fixi and Foxi, 2002, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credit listing"
/ref> a European cartoon series based on Rolf Kauka’s popular comic books, during which they served as head writers. In the summer of 2001, Neuwirth relocated to
Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...
for several months to continue as supervising producer of the show, overseeing post-production. In 2002, Neuwirth embarked on a solo writing and producing career. His credits include scripts for
Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
’s reboot of ''Rugrats (2021)'', head writing Season 6 of Nickelodeon’s ''Bubble Guppies (2021)'', developing, executive producing and story editing ''The Bug Diaries (2019)'' on Amazon Prime, developing, head writing and producing two seasons of '' Space Racers'' (2014), an award-winning animated TV series 5/sup> created with the participation of NASA and airing on
PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...
,
Universal Kids Universal Kids was an American children's cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The channel launched on September 26, 2005, as PBS Kids Sprout, a preschool-oriented offshoot of ...
,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
and
Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...
, scripting and story editing ''
The Octonauts ''Octonauts'' is an animated children's television series, produced by Chorion in series 1 and Silvergate Media starting from series 2 for the BBC channel CBeebies. It is based on the children's books written by Meomi, the design team of V ...
'' (2010),"The Octonauts 2010-present, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credit listing, Series Other Crew-Story Editor listing 21 episodes"
/ref> and writing episodes of ''
Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
'' (2008), including "Is That Kosher?", in which he created the character "Bubbe" for guest star
Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedienne, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona that w ...
. Additional writing credits include scripts for '' Donkey Hodie'' (2021), '' Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt'' (2020), '' Tumble Leaf'' (2015), ''
Tickety Toc ''Tickety Toc'' is a preschool comedy animated television series produced by The Foundation, part of Zodiak Media and FunnyFlux Entertainment. The first series consists of 52 episodes, each 11 minutes long, but is often shown as twenty-six bl ...
'' (2014), ''
Jelly Jamm ''Jelly Jamm'' is an animated children's television series created by Carlos L. del Rey, Víctor M. López and David Cantolla. The series is a co-production between Vodka Capital and 737 SHAKER, two Spanish producers based in Madrid and Segov ...
'' (2011), ''
Cyberchase ''Cyberchase'' is an animated series, animated science fantasy children's television series that airs on PBS Kids. The series centers around three children from Earth: Jackie, Matt and Inez, who are brought into Cyberspace, a digital universe, i ...
'' (2010), '' Jungle Junction'' (2009),"Jungle Junction, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credits listing, 4 episodes"
/ref> ''Martha Speaks'' (2009),"Martha Speaks 2008, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credit"
/ref> '' Speed Racer: The Next Generation'' (2009),"Speed Racer: The Next Generation, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credits listing, 7 episodes"
/ref> ''
Between the Lions ''Between the Lions'' is an American animated/live-action/puppet educational children's television series designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston, Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, and Mississipp ...
'' (2009), ''
WordWorld ''WordWorld'' is an American animated children's television series based on the books and the wooden puzzles of the same name. The series was created by Don Moody, Jacqueline Moody, Peter Schneider and Gary Friedman, it was produced by Word Wo ...
'' (2007),"Word World, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credit listing, 6 episodes"
/ref> and scripts and songs for '' Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies'' (2006)."Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies, Full Cast & Crew, Series Writing Credits listing, 6 episodes
/ref> In 2004, he began directing a feature-length musical documentary, ''What's the Name of the Dame?'',"What's The Name of the Dame? Director listing"
/ref> which was completed seven years later. The film, which examined the fusion of two modern cultural phenomena,
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
songs and the art of drag, made its debut at the
Atlanta Film Festival The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is an international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia and operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a diverse r ...
in March 2011.Newswire
"Figjam Celebrates What's The Name Of The Dame's Successful Film Festival Run With An EP Of Julian Marsh Remixes Of ABBA Classics Performed By The Lovely Drag Queens"
Pres Release January 17, 2012
It was subsequently selected by numerous festivals across the US, including New York's Newfest,Weintraub, Jak
"New York’s Newfest 2011 LGBT Film Festival Announces Lineup (Video)"
The Wrap, June 27, 2011
and Canada. In 2012, Neuwirth and Margarethe Baillou of M.Y.R.A. Entertainment teamed up to begin producing together. Their first project, the independent feature film ''Drawing Home'', was released theatrically in 2017.[42
/nowiki>">2">[42
/nowiki>/sup> He and Baillou also collaborated in 2016 as executive producers on ''Change in the Air'' (2018), and on director Luca Guadagnino's acclaimed indie film '' Call Me by Your Name'', which premiered to raves at the Sundance Film Festival">Call Me by Your Name (film)">Call Me by Your Name'', which premiered to raves at the Sundance Film Festival and was released by Sony Pictures Classics for release in 2017, winning an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award, both for Best Adapted Screenplay. Neuwirth served as associate producer. Other projects currently filming and/or in development include the political documentary feature ''State of Dispute'', dramatic limited TV series ''The Yank'' and ''Shadow Cast'', and a feature film, ''Boy From Berlin'', inspired by the young gay Jewish WWII hero Gad Beck’s memoir ''An Underground Life''. Throughout his involvement in feature films, Neuwirth continued to work in animated television as an artist and writer. He drew storyboards for commercials and TV series, including Cartoon Network's ''Courage the Cowardly Dog''. In 2011, he wrote the Hallmark Channel’s stop-motion Christmas special, ''Jingle All the Way'',"Jingle All The Way, Writer"
/ref>Hale, Mik

The New York Times," November 23, 2011
In 2012, he wrote the screenplay for the sequel, ''Jingle & Bell’s Christmas Star'',"Jingle & Bell's Christmas, Screenplay"
/ref> and the animated short film '' Polariffic'' (2014),"Polariffic, Writer-Allan Neuwirth"
/ref> also for the Hallmark Channel. ''Polariffic'' was nominated for Best Animated Special Production at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards, and selected by the 2015 Annecy Film Festival.Oregon Film
"Bent Image Lab’s "Polariffic" Accepted at Annecy Int’l Animated Film Fest"
The Confluence" April 2001
Neuwirth was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program," for a 2014 episode of ''Cyberchase''."Media Advisory. "PBS and PBS KIDS receive 49 Daytime Emmy Nominations"
/ref> In 2020, he co-created, produced, scripted and co-wrote the songs for ''Flower of the Dawn'', the pilot episode of new musical anthology series ''Fairy Tale Forest'', featuring the voices of Mel Brooks, Jane Lynch, Matt Lucas, Whoopi Goldberg, and Broadway legend Jennifer Holliday.


''Chelsea Boys''

In 1998, Neuwirth teamed with artist/writer Glen Hanson to create the internationally syndicated comic strip '' Chelsea Boys''. Two book collections were published: ''Chelsea Boys'' (2003),Hanson, Glen, and Neuwirth, Allan,"Chelsea Boys," Alyson Books, September 2003 nominated for Best Humor Book by the 2004 Lambda Literary Awards, and ''Chelsea Boys Steppin’ Out'' (2007).Cronin, Bria
"A Month of Good LGBT Comics – Chelsea Boys Steppin’ Out! Comic Book Resources, November 14, 2008"
/ref> ''Chelsea Boys'' was optioned for television several times, notably in 2001 by Hollywood film company Film Roman, producers of ''The Simpsons''.Godfrey, Leigh "Film Roman To Develop Series Based On Chelsea Boys Strip" Animated World Network, October 10, 2001 Hanson and Neuwirth signed a deal in 2005 with MTV's new Logo Network to develop a TV show based on the comic strip,Baisley, Sara
"New Logo Net Lands Gay Toon Chelsea Boys"
Animated World Network, Monday, July 26, 2004
but after several months of development the network declined to move forward, citing budget concerns. As of 2015, the strip has not been animated. ''Chelsea Boys'' has appeared in anthologies, including ''What's Wrong: Explicit Graphic Interpretations Against Censorship'' (2002).Fisher, Robin, "What's Wrong?: Explicit Graphic Interpretations Against Censorship" Arsenal Pulp Press, May 2003 Hanson and Neuwirth also collaborated on projects for DC Comics. They co-scripted the RealWorlds graphic novel ''Wonder Woman vs. The Red Menace'' (2000).Tucker, Ke
"Realworlds: Wonder Woman, Entertainment Weekly, May 19, 2000"
/ref>


Books and journalism

Following the attack in New York City of September 11, 2001, Neuwirth took a hiatus from television work and began writing non-fiction books and articles about the entertainment industry. His first book, ''Makin’ Toons'' (2003), offered an insider's look at the creation of the most popular animated TV shows and movies being developed in the early 1990s. Neuwirth's next book, an oral history titled ''They'll Never Put That On The Air'' (2006), focused on the role of TV comedy in breaking down television's restrictive taboos of the 1950s and 1960s. ''Entertainment Weekly'' magazine placed the book on their "Must List." Throughout the decade, Neuwirth contributed articles about pop culture and cartoons to various entertainment industry publications, including ''Animation Magazine'' and ''Emmy Magazine''. Several picture books adapted from original scripts Neuwirth wrote for TV series have been published, including ''Martha Speaks: A Pup's Tale'' (2010). As a book illustrator, his credits include Warner Books’ ''Joan Lunden's Mothers’ Minutes'' (1986), and Golden Books’ ''Where in America is
Carmen Sandiego ''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a Carmen Sandiego (video game series), series of computer video games created by the American software company Broderbund. Whi ...
?'' (1992). Neuwirth has guest lectured at schools and universities, and appeared on talk radio, TV and other venues to discuss creating animation, television comedy, and comics. He has participated in and moderated panels at MoCCA,
City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...
(CUNY)Kirby, Rober

"Queers & Comics: The LGBTQ Cartoonists and Comics Conference New York University," The Comics Journal, May 18, 2015
School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...
, and in museums and bookstores. For the
Archive of American Television The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (formerly titled the Archive of American Television) is a project of the nonprofit Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, that records interviews with notabl ...
, Neuwirth has conducted videotaped interviews with figures in television history such as
Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedienne, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona that w ...
,
Dominick Dunne Dominick John Dunne (October 29, 1925 – August 26, 2009) was an American writer, investigative journalist, and producer. He began his career in film and television as a producer of the pioneering gay film '' The Boys in the Band'' (1970) and a ...
, and sex therapist
Ruth Westheimer Karola Ruth Westheimer (née Siegel; June 4, 1928 – July 12, 2024), better known as Dr. Ruth, was a German and American sex therapist and talk show host. Westheimer was born in Germany to a Jewish family. As the Nazis came to power, her paren ...
("Dr. Ruth"). He has also interviewed directors and performers on stage, including British comic and actor
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, television producer and filmmaker. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003) ...
, for
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
-New York screenings."Ricky Gervais: Not my Doppelganger"
November 7, 2008


Filmography


Film


Television


Footnotes


External links

*IMDb pag

*Carluth Studios, Inc

*The Phoenix Theatr

*M.Y.R.A. Entertainmen

*IMDb - Allan Neuwirt

*Lambiek Comiclopedi

*Chelsea Boys websit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuwirth, Allan Charles 1956 births Living people American animated film producers American comics artists Pratt Institute alumni People from Washington Heights, Manhattan LGBTQ comics creators Gay Jews American gay artists Jewish American comics artists Jewish American animators Jewish American screenwriters American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Belgian-Jewish descent American people of German-Jewish descent 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American LGBTQ people