Henry Ephron (May 26, 1911 – September 6, 1992) was an American playwright, screenwriter and film producer who often worked with his wife, Phoebe (née Wolkind). He was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s.

Early life

Henry Ephron was born in

Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, the son of Gittle "Gussie" (née Weinstein) and Yitzhak Asher "Isaac" Ephron, a retailer. His parents were

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

immigrants, his father from

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

, now in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, and his mother from Skidzyel', now in Belarus. All four of his daughters by his first wife, Phoebe:

Nora Ephron Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing romantic comedy films and received numerous accolades including a British Academy Film Award as ...

, Delia Ephron, Hallie Ephron and Amy Ephron, also became notable writers. Coincidentally, his second wife, June (née Gilmartin; July 6, 1911 – November 13, 1996), widow of

Oscar Levant Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor (music), conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films ''Rhapsody in Bl ...

, who wed Ephron in 1978, was also one of four sisters. His family is

. Ephron died in 1992 of "natural causes" at the Motion Picture Hospital in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Notable works

(unless otherwise noted, films written with Phoebe Ephron): * '' Three Is a Family'' (1944) * ''

Bride by Mistake ''Bride by Mistake'' is a 1944 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Wallace, and starring Alan Marshal and Laraine Day. The screenplay is by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron, based on a story by Norman Krasna, and is a remake of ...

'' (1944) * '' Belles on Their Toes'' (1952); sequel to ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bes ...

'' * ''

What Price Glory What Price Glory? may refer to: * ''What Price Glory?'' (1926 film), directed by Raoul Walsh * ''What Price Glory'' (1952 film), directed by John Ford * ''What Price Glory?'' (play), a 1924 play by Maxwell Anderson and Laurence Stallings; basis for ...

'' (1952); Screenplay * ''

There's No Business Like Show Business "There's No Business Like Show Business" is an Irving Berlin song, written for the 1946 musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' and orchestrated by Ted Royal. The song, a slightly tongue-in-cheek salute to the glamour and excitement of a life in show ...

'' (1954) * '' Daddy Long Legs'' (1955); Screenplay * ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'' (1956); also producer * ''

Desk Set ''Desk Set'' (released as ''His Other Woman'' in the UK) is a 1957 American romantic comedy film starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Directed by Walter Lang, the picture's screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron, ada ...

'' (1957); also producer * ''

Take Her, She's Mine ''Take Her, She's Mine'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee and based on a 1961 Broadway comedy written by the husband-and-wife team of Henry and Phoebe Ephron. The film was directed by Henry Koster with a scre ...

'' (1961); Broadway play, later made into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, then an unsold ABC TV comedy series with

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American actor and dancer. He had a prolific career in film, television, theatre and radio, which spanned over 50 years, from 1940 to 1992. He was a major star at Metr ...

starring in the pilot * '' Captain Newman, M.D.'' (1963), nominated for Oscar, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Autobiography

* ''We Thought We Could Do Anything'' (1977)

References

External links

*
The Oscar Site

''New York Times'' biography
1911 births 1992 deaths Film producers from New York (state) American male screenwriters American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Jewish American dramatists and playwrights Writers from the Bronx 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers Ephron family Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews {{US-screen-writer-1910s-stub