Robert L. Freedman (born July 27, 1957) is an American screenwriter and dramatist. He is best known for his

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

s for '' Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella'' (1997) and '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001), and for his Tony-winning book and lyrics of '' A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'' (2014).

Early life and education

Freedman attended Los Alamitos High School, where he was the editor of the school’s newspaper. That's where he met another influential figure in his life, a journalism teacher named Margaret Hall. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

. He holds Masters of Fine Arts from NYU in Dramatic Writing and Musical Theatre Writing.

Career

Freedman won the 1994 Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Television Children's Show for his script for the TV movie ''A Deadly Secret: The Robert Bierer Story'' (1993). He was the screenwriter for the TV movie ''Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella'' (1997), and received a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Children's Script. Freedman is the screenwriter and producer of the television movie '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'', which was televised on ABC in 2001. The movie, about the early life of

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

, was based on the book ''Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir'' by

Lorna Luft Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft, the sister of Joey Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli. Early life Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint Jo ...

. Among other awards, Freedman was nominated by the Writers Guild of America, "Adapted Long Form"."Freedman List"
wgfoundation.org, accessed June 11, 2014 He was also nominated for the Primetime

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for Outstanding Writing For a Miniseries or a Movie, a Co-Nominee for the 2001 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries. He wrote the book for the stage musical ''Grand Duchy'', with music by John Bayless, which had staged readings at

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit American Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. ...

and the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater containing approximately 1,200 seats located in Millburn, within Essex County, New Jersey, United States, on the banks of the Rahway River. Due to its relative proximity to Manhattan, the theater draw ...

and premiered in Santa Barbara, California, in 2003.Jones, Kenneth
"Holzman, Freedman, Hubbard, Needleman and Lutvak Win 2006 Kleban Awards"
playbill.com, May 1, 2006 A second performance, also in Santa Barbara, was expected spring of 2016. He wrote the book to a musical titled ''Campaign of the Century'', with lyrics by Freedman and Steven Lutvak and music by Lutvak. It is based on the book by Greg Mitchell, and is about the smear campaign against author Upton Sinclair. It had staged readings at the Chicago Humanities Festival in 2004, the New York Music Festival in September 2005, and the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild in 2006. Freedman co-wrote a one-man play with Faye Greenberg titled ''The Beast of Broadway'', which had its premiere in 2010 at TheatreZone, Naples, Florida. The play is based in part on the book ''The Abominable Showman'' by Howard Kissell, about the producer

David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margulois; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick grad ...

. Freedman wrote the book and lyrics to a musical version of ''

Kind Hearts and Coronets ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' is a 1949 British crime film, crime black comedy film directed by Robert Hamer. It features Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson and Alec Guinness; Guinness plays eight characters. The plot is loosely based ...

'', with music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak, directed by Ron Lagomarsino, which was presented at the Sundance Institute Theatre Laboratory, Utah, in July 2006. The musical had a staged reading in the Breaking Ground Series at the Huntington Theatre in Boston in April 2006. '' A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'', co-written with Lutvak and based on the 1907 novel ''Israel Rank'' by Roy Horniman (the source for ''Kind Hearts and Coronets''), ultimately premiered in October 2012 at Hartford Stage in Hartford, Connecticut. The production, directed by Darko Tresnjak, transferred to the

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which is collec ...

in San Diego, California, in March 2013, and then opened on Broadway in 2014. Freedman 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 Best Book of a Musical for this musical.

Work

Television

Sources: ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', filmreference.com *''

The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana ''The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana'' is a 1982 American made-for-television biographical drama film that depicts the events leading to the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The film was directed by Peter Levin and starred Ca ...

'' (1982) *''Broadway Sings: The Music of Jule Styne'' (1987) *''Taken Away'' (1989) *'' Locked Up: A Mother's Rage'' (1991) *''

Woman With A Past ''Woman with a Past'' is an American daytime soap opera that aired on CBS from February 1, 1954, to July 2, 1954. The sustaining program originated at WCBS-TV and replaced ''Action in the Afternoon'' in the CBS schedule. Synopsis The soap focus ...

'' (1992) *''A Deadly Secret: The Robert Bierer Story'' (1992) *'' Honor Thy Mother'' (1992) *'' In the Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness'' (1994) *''What Love Sees'' (1996) *''Mrs. Santa Claus'' (1997) *''Unlikely Angel'' (1997) *'' Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella'' (1997) *''Long Way Home'' (1998) *'' What Makes a Family'' (2001) *'' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001) *'' Murder in the Hamptons'' (2005) *'' The Pastor's Wife'' (2011)

Theatre

*''Grand Duchy'' (with John Bayless) *''Campaign of the Century'' (with Steven Lutvak) *''The Beast of Broadway: The Life and Times of David Merrick'' (with Faye Greenberg) (2010) *'' A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'' (with Steven Lutvak) *''Camp Rock: The Musical'' (with Faye Greenberg)" 'Camp Rock'"
mtishows.com, accessed June 10, 2014

Honors and awards

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Freedman, Robert L. 1957 births American lyricists American musical theatre lyricists Broadway composers and lyricists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American television writers American male television writers Writers from Los Angeles Living people University of California, Los Angeles alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni Foreign Policy Research Institute Tony Award winners