Robert B. Nemiroff (October 29, 1929, New York City – July 18, 1991) was an American theater producer and songwriter, and the husband of

Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin ...

. Nemiroff was a book editor and a music publisher, as well as an award-winning songwriter. With co-writer Burt D’Lugoff, he composed the 1956 hit song "

Cindy, Oh Cindy "Cindy, Oh Cindy" is a song, written by Robert Nemiroff and Burt D'Lugoff and credited to their pseudonyms, Robert Barron and Burt Long. It used as its melody a stevedore song, " Pay Me My Money Down", collected by Lydia Parrish in her 1942 book ...

", and "Fifteen", the theme for the movie ''

The World, the Flesh, and the Devil In Christian theology, the world, the flesh, and the devil (Latin: ''mundus, caro, et diabolus''; Greek language, Greek: ''ό κοσμος, ή σαρξ, και ό διαβολος'') have been singled out "by sources from St Thomas Aquinas" to th ...

''. He married Lorraine Hansberry in 1953, which Hansberry often cited as an important creative factor in the genesis of her play ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Ch ...

''. Although the couple separated in 1957 and divorced in 1962, their professional relationship lasted until Hansberry's death from cancer in January 1965. In 1967, he married Jewell Handy Gresham, a college professor who taught at Tuskegee Institute, New York University, Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, and Vassar College. Nemiroff devoted much of his life to editing and promoting the work of Hansberry, who had named him as her literary executor. He was the executive producer of the 1989

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

production of ''A Raisin in the Sun'', and produced and co-wrote the 1973 Broadway musical ''

Raisin A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...

'', based on ''A Raisin in the Sun''.

Awards and honors

Nemiroff won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for producing ''Raisin''.

References

External links

* * 1929 births 1991 deaths Writers from New York City American theatre managers and producers Songwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American songwriters {{Theat-bio-stub