Biography

David Merrick

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David Merrick was born on November 27, 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). He was married to Natalie Lloyd, Etan Aronson, Jeanne Gibson, Karen Prunczik and Leonore Beck. He died on April 25, 2000 in London, England, UK.

He suffered a stroke which impaired his speech and he had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
He won six Tony awards -- for 'Becket', 'Luther', 'Hello, Dolly!,' 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,' 'Travesties' , and '42nd Street' and he received two honorary Tonys.
He established the David Merrick Arts Foundation in 1998 to support the development of American musicals and the people who create them.
He graduated from Washington University before studying law. In 1940 he left his legal career behind in St. Louis to pursue a dream of producing Broadway shows, but it took him 14 years to make it and that was with ``Fanny.''
One of the most colorful, dynamic producers in Broadway history, a man whose talent for finding hit properties was matched only by his boldness, promotional skill, and not inconsiderable ego. Nevertheless, his instincts about entertainment usually turned out to be right, and a 40+ year string of hit shows was the result. Some of the best-known Merrick productions include "Hello, Dolly!," "Fanny," "Oliver!," "Becket," "Destry Rides Again," "Rosenkrantz and Guildernstern Are Dead," "Child's Play" (stage and film versions), and "42nd Street."

There's a horse's ass for every light on Broadway.
I'll tell you what it's like to be No. 1. I compare it to climbing Mount Everest. It's very difficult. Lives are lost along the way. You struggle and struggle and finally you get up there. And guess what there is once you get up there? Snow and ice.
My attitude is like that of the alley cat - the alley cat that's not quite trustful, that's always watching for someone to leap on him.

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