Dore Schary was an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He was born in Newark, New Jersey and worked a variety of jobs after completing high school, including an assistant drama coach. He began acting and writing in 1927 and joined a group of actors traveling across the country. In 1932, he was hired by Columbia Pictures in Hollywood to write screenplays. He left Columbia after a salary dispute, but worked successfully as a freelance screenwriter and was hired by MGM to direct in 1943. He eventually became head of production at the studio.
Schary wrote his most well-known play, Sunrise at Campobello, in 1958. The play was about the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt and won five Tony Awards. Schary went on to write, produce, and direct on Broadway. He produced and directed the hugely successful musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1960 and wrote and directed The Devil’s Advocate in 1961. Schary died in 1980. In 1982, the Anti-Defamation League created the Dore Schary Awards to honor student films that exemplify the organization’s mission.
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