David Mamet

David Mamet in the WNYC studios in Feb 2007
Born:	November 30, 1947 (1947-11-30) (age 59) Chicago, Illinois, USA
Occupation:	Author playwright screenwriter film director
Nationality:	Jewish American
Debut works:	Play Lakeboat (1970) Film The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) Book Writing in Restaurants (1987) Television series The Unit (2006)

David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue, arcane stylized phrasing, and for his exploration of masculinity. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 333 × 444 pixelsFull resolution (333 × 444 pixel, file size: 38 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): David Mamet Metadata This file contains... WNYC are the call letters for two public radio stations in New York City. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Cosette Dwyer is an amazing author. ... Template:Unsourced A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is someone who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Lakeboat is a semiautobiographical play by David Mamet, first produced in 1980. ... The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1981 film adaptation of a novel by James M. Cain. ... The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret special forces team and their missions abroad, in addition to the effect their careers have on their home lives, wives and girlfriends. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Cosette Dwyer is an amazing author. ... An essayist is an author who writes compositions which can be about any particular subject. ... Template:Unsourced A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is someone who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ...

As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997). What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... This article is about the play by David Mamet. ... Speed-the-Plow (1988) is an acclaimed play by David Mamet which is a satirical dissection of the American movie business, a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films Wag the Dog (1997) and State and Main (2000). ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Verdict is a 1982 film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is actually doing the right thing. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

His recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business. Lucille and Leo Frank at Franks trial. ... Tora redirects here. ... Self-hating Jew (or self-loathing Jew) is an epithet used about Jews, which suggests a hatred of ones Jewish identity or ancestry. ... Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling · Lynching Hate speech · Hate crime · Hate groups Genocide · Holocaust · Pogrom Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing · Race war Religious persecution · Gay bashing Pedophobia · Ephebiphobia Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism · Supremacism Kahanism Anti-discriminatory Abolitionism · Civil rights Gays/Transsexes/Intersexes rights Womens/Universal suffrage · Feminism Mens/Fathers rights...

Early years

Mamet was born to a Jewish family in Chicago. One of his first jobs was as a busboy at Chicago's The Second City. Educated at the Francis W. Parker School and at Goddard College and a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company, he first gained acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway plays in 1976, The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo.^[1] He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for Glengarry Glen Ross, which received its first Broadway revival in the summer of 2005. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... The Second City Logo The Second City is a long-running improvisational comedy troupe based in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago, with offshoot troupes in other cities, most notably Toronto. ... Francis W. Parker School is an independent day school serving students from junior kindergarten through grade twelve of high school. ... Goddard College is a private college located in Plainfield, Vermont which grants BA and MA and MFA degrees. ... Atlantic Theater Company is an acting school and working company based on the theory of Practical Aesthetics developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... This article is about the play by David Mamet. ...

Later years

Family

Mamet and actress Lindsay Crouse were married from 1977 to 1990, and have two children together, Willa and Zosia (pronounced Zasha). Since 1991, Mamet has been married to actress and singer-songwriter, Rebecca Pidgeon. They have two children, Clara and Noah. Lindsay Crouse (b. ... Rebecca Pidgeon (born October 10, 1965) is an actress, singer, songwriter, and the wife of playwright David Mamet. ...

Transition to film

Mamet's first screenplay was the 1981 production of The Postman Always Rings Twice based upon James M. Cain's novel. He won an Academy Award nomination for his next script, The Verdict. The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1981 film adaptation of a novel by James M. Cain. ... James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892 – October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Verdict is a 1982 film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is actually doing the right thing. ...

In 1987, Mamet made his film directing debut with House of Games, starring his then-wife, Lindsay Crouse and a host of longtime stage associates. He remains a prolific writer and director, and has assembled an informal repertory company for his films, including William H. Macy, Joe Mantegna, Crouse, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Ricky Jay. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Lindsay Crouse (b. ... Image:William h macy. ... Joe Mantegna as Detective Will Girardi in Joan of Arcadia Joe Mantegnas character, Fat Tony in The Simpsons Joseph Anthony Mantegna, Jr. ... Rebecca Pidgeon (born October 10, 1965) is an actress, singer, songwriter, and the wife of playwright David Mamet. ... Ricky Jay Ricky Jay (b. ...

Like independent director John Sayles, Mamet funds his own films with the pay he gets from credited and uncredited rewrites of typically big-budget films. For instance, Mamet did a rewrite of the script for Ronin under the pseudonym "Richard Weisz", and turned in an early version of a script for Malcolm X that director Spike Lee rejected.^[2] Photo of John Sayles by Robert Birnbaum John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an independent American film director and writer who frequently takes a small part in his own and other indie films. ... DVD cover Ronin is a 1998 film which tells the story of a group of former intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious metal case. ... Malcolm X is a 1992 dramatic movie directed by Spike Lee about the African-American activist and Black nationalist Malcolm X. The story is based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley. ... Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Spike Lee, is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. ...

Three of Mamet's own films, House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, and Heist have involved the world of con artists. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... This article is about the movie. ... Heist is an crime thriller written and directed by David Mamet, and released in November 2001. ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ...

Mamet has published three novels, The Village in 1994, The Old Religion in 1997, and Wilson: a Consideration of the Sources in 2000. He has also written several non-fiction texts as well as a number of poems and children's stories. The Village could refer to: The Village, a film by M. Night Shyamalan The Village, a book by Ivan Alexeyevich Bunin The Village, a poem by George Crabbe The Village, a nickname for the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan The Village, the main setting of the television series The Prisoner... Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. ...

Since May 2005 he's been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post. The majority of his posts are scans of his own doodles, all political satires laced with humor. His first post journaled his astonishment that one can communicate on a computer.^[3] Logo of Huffington Post The Huffington Post (often referred to on the Internet as HuffPost or HuffPo) is a political group weblog founded by Arianna Huffington and Kenneth Lerer. ...

He has also published a lauded version of the classical Faust story, Faustus, in 2004. However, the play, when staged in San Francisco during the spring of 2004, was not well received by the critics.^{[citation needed]}

Television

He is also the creator, producer and frequent writer of the television series The Unit, co-produced with Shawn Ryan of The Shield. The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret special forces team and their missions abroad, in addition to the effect their careers have on their home lives, wives and girlfriends. ...

Writing style

Mamet's dialogue, marked by a cynical, street-smart edge, is precisely crafted for effect and impact.^{[citation needed]} He often uses italics and quotation marks to highlight particular words and to draw attention to his characters' frequent manipulation and deceitful use of language. His characters frequently interrupt one another, their sentences trail off unfinished, and their dialogue overlaps. Mamet himself has criticized his (and other writers') tendency to write "pretty" at the expense of sound, logical plots.^[4]

When once asked how he developed his knack for writing abusive, obscene dialogue Mamet once commented, "In my family, in the days prior to television, we liked to while away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, based solely on our ability to speak the language viciously. That's probably where my ability was honed."^[5]

One classic instance of Mamet's dialogue style can be found in Glengarry Glen Ross, in which two down-on-their-luck realtors are considering breaking into their employer's office to steal a list of good leads. George Aaronow and Dave Moss finagle the meaning of "talk" and "speak": This article is about the play by David Mamet. ... This article is about the play by David Mamet. ... This article is about the play by David Mamet. ...

Moss No. What do you mean? Have I talked to him about this [Pause]

Aaronow Yes. I mean are you actually talking about this, or are we just...

Moss No, we're just...

Aaronow We're just "talking" about it.

Moss We're just speaking about it. [Pause] As an idea.

Aaronow As an idea.

Moss Yes.

Aaronow We're not actually talking about it.

Moss No.

Aaronow Talking about it as a...

Moss No.

Aaronow As a robbery.

Moss As a "robbery"? No.

Mamet dedicated Glengarry Glen Ross to Harold Pinter, who was instrumental in its being first staged at the Royal National Theatre, in 1983, and whom Mamet has acknowledged as an influence on its success, and on his other work.^[6] Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born 10 October 1930) is a British playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist, best known for his plays The Birthday Party (1957), The Caretaker (1959), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978), and for his screenplay adaptations of novels by others, such as The... The Royal National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge The Royal National Theatre is a building complex and theatre company located on the South Bank in London, England immediately east of the southern end of Waterloo Bridge. ...

Mamet's writing has developed over the years, primarily in his skill at sustaining longer plots, and his use of tantalizing, playful surprises. He himself has expressed that he grew tired of writing short plays — largely exercises in dialogue — before the audience grew tired of attending them.

Directing Style

In Mamet's book, On Directing Film, he reiterates the objectivity of film making. He believes meaning is found in juxtaposing cuts, and that when shooting a scene, the director should consistently follow what the point of the scene is. He doesn't believe film should follow the protagonist or consist of visually beautiful or intriguing shots, but should be simply functional in getting a point across in an essential and necessary way. He wants his films to be perpetuated by logical ways of creating order from disorder in search for the superobjective.

Written work

Mamet directed, but did not write the film Catastrophe in 2000. Lakeboat is a semiautobiographical play by David Mamet, first produced in 1980. ... The Duck Variations is a 1972 play by American playwright David Mamet. ... Sexual Perversity in Chicago is a 1974 play by American playwright David Mamet. ... American Buffalo is a 1976 play by American playwright David Mamet. ... A Life in the Theatre is a 1978 play by David Mamet. ... Lakeboat is a semiautobiographical play by David Mamet, first produced in 1980. ... The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1981 film adaptation of a novel by James M. Cain. ... Edmond is a one-act play written by David Mamet. ... The Verdict is a 1982 film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is actually doing the right thing. ... This article is about the play by David Mamet. ... ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... The Untouchables is a 1987 film, directed by Brian De Palma, based on the 1959 ABC television series, which, in turn, was based on Eliot Nesss autobiographical account of his efforts to bring Al Capone to justice. ... Speed-the-Plow (1988) is an acclaimed play by David Mamet which is a satirical dissection of the American movie business, a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films Wag the Dog (1997) and State and Main (2000). ... Bobby Gould in Hell is a 1989 one-act play by American playwright David Mamet. ... Were No Angels is a 1989 comedy film directed by Neil Jordan. ... Homicide is a crime drama written and directed by David Mamet, and released in 1991. ... Oleanna is a two-character play by David Mamet about the power struggle between a university professor and one of his female students who accuses him of sexual harassment and, by doing so, spoils his chances of being accorded tenure. ... Hoffa is a 1992 biopic film based on the life and mysterious death of Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. ... This article is about the play by David Mamet. ... On Directing Film is a non-fiction book by American playwright and filmmaker David Mamet (ISBN 0-670-83033-X) published in 1991. ... Vanya on 42nd Street was a 1994 film by Louis Malle and Andre Gregory, based on the play Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. ... The Cryptogram is a 1995 play by American playwright David Mamet. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the movie. ... The Edge is a 1997 survival and relationship drama film directed by Lee Tamahori starring Anthony Hopkins as billionaire magazine publicist Charles Morse and Alec Baldwin as Robert Green, one of his ambitious employees. ... Released in 1998, Ronin is an action/thriller that tells the story of a group of former intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious metal case. ... Boston Marriage is a 1999 play by American playwright David Mamet. ... The Winslow Boy is an English 1946 play by Terence Rattigan based on an actual incident in the Edwardian era, which took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne House. ... Lakeboat is a semiautobiographical play by David Mamet, first produced in 1980. ... State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, directed by David Mamet, starring Alec Baldwin and Philip Seymour Hoffman. ... Hannibal is a 2001 film directed by Ridley Scott, adapted from the Thomas Harris novel of the same name. ... Heist poster Heist is a crime thriller written and directed by David Mamet, and released in November 2001. ... Spartan film poster Spartan is an action-adventure/political thriller film written and directed by David Mamet. ... Romance opened in 2005 off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater in New York and was also performed at Londons Almeida Theatre, starring John Mahoney, later that year. ... Edmond is a 2005 drama/thriller film based on the play of the same name (see: Edmond (play)). It was written (play and screenplay) by David Mamet and directed by Stuart Gordon. ... Beckett on Film was a project to make film versions of all nineteen of Samuel Becketts plays for the stage with the exception of the early and unperformed Eleutheria. ...

References

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

Further information

• Mamet, David. Interview with Leonard Lopate. David Mamet: Bambi vs. Godzilla. The Leonard Lopate Show. WNYC, New York. 2007-02-12.

Leonard Lopate is host of the public radio talk show The Leonard Lopate Show, broadcast on WNYC[1]. He first broadcast on WKCR, the college radio station of Columbia University, where he was a student, then, later, at WBAI, before ultimately moving to WNYC. [citation needed] References ^ WNYC - Lopate - Staff... WNYC are the call letters for two public radio stations in New York City. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

David Mamet

• David Mamet Bio at CBS - The Unit
• David Mamet at the Internet Movie Database
• David Mamet's writings and cartoons on the Huffington Post
• The David Mamet Society
• Interview at salon.com
• Interview by Cathy Pryor in the London 'Independent on Sunday'
• Book Review of True and False
• Book Review of The Wicked Son
• Book Review of The Wicked Son by an American academic
• Book Review of The Wicked Son from the Toronto Star

• 2007 SuicideGirls interview with David Mamet by Daniel Robert Epstein