Warren Adler(1927-2019)
- Writer
- Producer
Best known for "The War of the Roses," his masterpiece fictionalization
of a macabre divorce turned into the dark comedy box office hit
starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito, Adler
quickly became the fountainhead of Hollywood screenplay adaptations,
fueling an unprecedented bidding war in a Hollywood commission for his
unpublished book Private Lies. The New York Post reported, "Tri-State
Pictures outbid Warner Bros and Columbia, and purchased the film rights
to Private Lies for $1.2 million. ...the highest sums yet paid in
Hollywood for an unpublished manuscript."
While "The War of the Roses" garnered outstanding box office and critical success with Golden Globe, BAFTA and multiple award nominations internationally, Adler went on to sell movie and film rights for 12 books, all noted for his character driven and masterful storytelling. Starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas, The New York Times described "Random Hearts" as having "stylistic polish and keenness of observation not often found in American films anymore" and the Washington Post said it had, "A stunning shocker of an opener."
Produced by Linda Lavin for PBS' American Playhouse series, Adler's The Sunset Gang was adapted into a trilogy starring Uta Hagen, Harold Gould, Dori Brenner and Jerry Stiller, garnering Doris Roberts an Emmy nomination for 'Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series'. Los Angeles Times called it "dramatically daring," The Wall Street Journal said, "Those... stories (based on the work by Warren Adler) are in fact, pure drama - moving, comical, and most of all, sharply observed." The musical version of "The Sunset Gang" received an Off-Broadway production with music scored by noted composer L. Russell Brown. The Broadway rights to the musical version of "The War or the Roses" were sold this spring and the dramatic version continues to be produced internationally, reaching a global audience in Italy, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Prague, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, and elsewhere. A New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year', Adler's "American Quartet," featuring his crime fighting female protagonist Fiona Fitzgerald, has been optioned by NBC and Lifetime. He has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Geraldo Rivera. Emmy Award winning actress Cynthia Nixon is the voice behind Adler's audio-book "New York Echoes", a collection of short stories.
An essayist, short-story writer, poet and playwright, Adler's works have been translated into 25 languages and have received stellar reviews by all major publications including: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Newsweek, Variety, Publishers Weekly, Glamour, New York Daily News, Time, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Gannett News Service, Chicago Tribune, The London Telegraph, and The Hollywood Reporter. Adler himself, regularly blogs for The Huffington Post, and lectures on creative writing, motion picture adaptation, and the future of e-books.
A pioneer in electronic publishing, Adler introduced the first digital reader manufactured by SONY in 2007. After being published by such houses as Viking, Putnam and Warner Books, he re-acquired his complete backlist, and converted his entire library to digital publishing formats, published now under his own company, Stonehouse Press. In 2012, Adler releases his 33rd book, "The Serpent's Bite".
While "The War of the Roses" garnered outstanding box office and critical success with Golden Globe, BAFTA and multiple award nominations internationally, Adler went on to sell movie and film rights for 12 books, all noted for his character driven and masterful storytelling. Starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas, The New York Times described "Random Hearts" as having "stylistic polish and keenness of observation not often found in American films anymore" and the Washington Post said it had, "A stunning shocker of an opener."
Produced by Linda Lavin for PBS' American Playhouse series, Adler's The Sunset Gang was adapted into a trilogy starring Uta Hagen, Harold Gould, Dori Brenner and Jerry Stiller, garnering Doris Roberts an Emmy nomination for 'Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series'. Los Angeles Times called it "dramatically daring," The Wall Street Journal said, "Those... stories (based on the work by Warren Adler) are in fact, pure drama - moving, comical, and most of all, sharply observed." The musical version of "The Sunset Gang" received an Off-Broadway production with music scored by noted composer L. Russell Brown. The Broadway rights to the musical version of "The War or the Roses" were sold this spring and the dramatic version continues to be produced internationally, reaching a global audience in Italy, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Prague, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, and elsewhere. A New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year', Adler's "American Quartet," featuring his crime fighting female protagonist Fiona Fitzgerald, has been optioned by NBC and Lifetime. He has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Geraldo Rivera. Emmy Award winning actress Cynthia Nixon is the voice behind Adler's audio-book "New York Echoes", a collection of short stories.
An essayist, short-story writer, poet and playwright, Adler's works have been translated into 25 languages and have received stellar reviews by all major publications including: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Newsweek, Variety, Publishers Weekly, Glamour, New York Daily News, Time, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Gannett News Service, Chicago Tribune, The London Telegraph, and The Hollywood Reporter. Adler himself, regularly blogs for The Huffington Post, and lectures on creative writing, motion picture adaptation, and the future of e-books.
A pioneer in electronic publishing, Adler introduced the first digital reader manufactured by SONY in 2007. After being published by such houses as Viking, Putnam and Warner Books, he re-acquired his complete backlist, and converted his entire library to digital publishing formats, published now under his own company, Stonehouse Press. In 2012, Adler releases his 33rd book, "The Serpent's Bite".
