George Jean Nathan

George Jean Nathan

George Jean Nathan in 1928
Born (1882-02-14)February 14, 1882
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Died April 8, 1958(1958-04-08) (aged 76)
New York, NY
Nationality American
Occupation
  • Drama critic
  • magazine editor

George Jean Nathan (February 14, 1882 – April 8, 1958) was an American drama critic and magazine editor. He worked closely with H. L. Mencken, bringing the literary magazine The Smart Set to prominence as an editor, and co-founding and editing The American Mercury and The American Spectator.

Early life

He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated from Cornell University in 1904. There, he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society and an editor of the Cornell Daily Sun.

Relationships and marriage

Though he published a paean to bachelorhood (The Bachelor Life, 1941), Nathan had a reputation as a ladies' man and was not averse to dating women working in the theater. The character of Addison De Witt, the waspish theater critic who squires a starlet (played by a then-unknown Marilyn Monroe) in the 1950 film All About Eve was based on Nathan. He had a romantic relationship with actress Lillian Gish, beginning in the late 1920s and lasting almost a decade. Gish repeatedly refused his proposals of marriage.[1]

Nathan eventually married considerably younger stage actress, Julie Haydon, in 1955.

Death

Nathan died in New York City in 1958, aged 76.

Legacy

The George Jean Nathan Award, an honor in dramatic criticism, is named after him. Nathan is also a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Albin Krebs, "Lillian Gish, 99, a Movie Star Since Movies Began, is Dead", The New York Times, March 1, 1993.
  2. ↑ "Theater Hall of Fame members". Retrieved February 9, 2014.
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