Kazan, Elia

Kazan, Elia [ Elia Kazanjoglou] (1909– ), American director and actor, born in Turkey, who made his first appearances on stage with the Group Theatre, being seen in Clifford Odets's Waiting for Lefty (1935) and Golden Boy (1937). He came into prominence as a director with his staging of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth (1942). Renowned for his ability to establish rapport with actors, he helped in 1947 to found the Actors' Studio, a workshop where professional actors could experiment and study their art according to the Method, of which he was an outstanding exponent. He was particularly associated with the two leading American playwrights of the time: Arthur Miller (All My Sons, 1947, Death of a Salesman, 1949, After the Fall, 1964); and Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire, 1947, Camino Real, 1953, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1955, and Sweet Bird of Youth, 1959). He also directed Archibald MacLeish's J.B. (1958). Leaving the Actors' Studio in 1962, he was appointed co-director of the Lincoln Center repertory company (see VIVIAN BEAUMONT THEATRE). He resigned in 1965 and has not since worked in the theatre. He was also an outstanding film director.