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Mark HellingerAmerican journalist, film producer and theater reviewer
Date of Birth: 21.03.1903
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Mark Hellinger
Mark Hellinger was an American journalist, film producer, and theater critic. He initially gained fame as a New York theater critic and one of the first nationally known "Broadway reviewers". Mark Hellinger was born in 1903 in New York City, into an Orthodox Jewish family. He completed his formal education at the age of 15 when he organized a student strike at Townsend Harris High School. In 1921, Mark started working as a waiter and cashier in a nightclub in Greenwich Village, where theater professionals often gathered. He later worked in advertising and began his career as a journalist, writing for the theatrical publication 'Zit's Weekly'. In 1923, Hellinger was already working for the 'New York Daily News', and a few years later, he had his own column 'About Town', where he wrote about Broadway theater news and gossip.
However, Mark took a slightly different approach, and his newspaper space was filled with amusing short stories in the style of O. Henry. These stories soon caught the attention of readers and gained popularity, allowing Mark to continue his column in the established format. In 1929, he switched to the 'New York Daily Mirror'; by then, Mark was already a respected author, writing stories and scripts for Broadway shows such as 'Ziegfeld Follies' and other productions.
In 1931, he published a collection of stories called 'Moon Over Broadway', followed by 'The Ten Million' in 1934. By 1937, Mark Hellinger's columns were published in 174 publications. That same year, he was hired as a writer and producer by Jack Warner of the well-known film company.
By then, Mark had already gained fame as a screenwriter with films such as 'Broadway Bill' and 'Walking Down Broadway'. In 1939, he became one of the screenwriters for the famous gangster film 'The Roaring Twenties'. Among his other popular works as a screenwriter were the 1950 comedy 'Riding High', the series 'Naked City', and several others.
As a producer, Mark achieved great success in the 1940s. He released films such as the romantic comedy 'Affectionately Yours', the crime drama 'Manpower', the film-noir 'Moontide', the musical comedy 'Thank Your Lucky Stars', the action film 'Between Two Worlds', and many others, featuring top film stars of those years. During World War II, Mark was not called up for military service due to a congenital heart condition. However, he worked as a war correspondent, writing interesting stories about soldiers and officers, which garnered a huge readership.
In 1947, Mark received the 'Edgar Award' for the film 'The Killers'.
It is known that in 1926, Mark fell in love with showgirl Gladys Glad, the winner of a beauty contest organized by the 'Daily News', where he served on the jury. They got married in 1929 but divorced in 1932. However, a year later, Gladys and Mark remarried and stayed together until his death in 1947.
Mark Hellinger passed away on December 21, 1947, at a hospital center in Los Angeles. The cause of death was reported as coronary thrombosis, and he was buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
In January 1949, the theater on 51st Street in Manhattan was named the Mark Hellinger Theatre.
Since 1960, the most promising journalism students at St. Bonaventure University have received the Mark Hellinger Award.
Jim Bishop wrote a biography of Mark titled 'The Mark Hellinger Story: A Biography of Broadway and Hollywood'.
In addition to his magazine and newspaper publications and writing career, Mark Hellinger produced at least 24 films, wrote about 12 screenplays, and even appeared as an actor in a couple of movies.
