Early Years
- Miller was born in 1915 in New York City.
- His parent's names were Isidore and Augusta Miller.
- His father ran a successful women's clothing store, but was illiterate.
- Miller's family lost nearly everything in the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
- In order to pay for his first year of college, Miller worked at an auto parts company for two years.
- Miller won the Avery Hopwood Award for young playwrights in 1936; he was still in college at the time.
- The University of Michigan is Miller's alma mater.
- His first Broadway play, The Man Who Had All the Luck, was a commercial failure and closed after only four performances.
- All My Sons (1947) became Miller's first success and earned him his first Tony Award.
- The Crucible (1953) was intended to be a statement against the McCarthy era and Communist fear.
- 1955's A View from a Bridge was considered one of Miller's best one-act plays; it was later modified to include two acts (1956).
- Among Miller's most prestigious awards, are Emmy Awards, Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
- Miller worked with a veritable who's who of Hollywood, including Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Lauren Bacall, John Malkovich, Daniel Day-Lewis, Steve McQueen and Stacy Keach
- Miller was married three times: Mary Slattery, Marilyn Monroe and Inge Morath.
- The playwright and Monroe divorced less than two years before the famous actress died.
- He had four children, Jane and Robert with Slattery and Rebecca and Daniel with Morath.
- Miller's daughter Rebecca married Academy Award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
- Miller's youngest son was born with Down Syndrome.
- He claimed to be a life-long atheist.
- Miller was found in contempt of court when he would not name suspected communists during Congressional hearings in 1957.
I really enjoy your facts on Arthur MIller. It's always nice to learn a little bit about the author of the book you're reading before you read.
ReplyDeletethanks!