Silver, Joan Micklin (1935–)

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Silver, Joan Micklin (1935–)

American film producer, screenwriter, and director. Born Joan Micklin, May 24, 1935, in Omaha, Nebraska; dau. of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Maurice David Micklin (businessman) and Doris (Shoshone) Micklin; Sarah Lawrence College, BA, 1956; m. Raphael D. Silver (b. 1930, real-estate entrepreneur), June 28, 1956; children: Dina Silver (producer); Marisa Silver (director); Claudia Silver (director).

Wrote and directed several educational shorts for the Learning Corporation of America, including The Immigrant Experience; formed Midwest Film Productions with husband and made directorial feature debut with Hester Street (1975), a multimillion-dollar sleeper; also directed Between the Lines (1977), Head Over Heels (1979), which was re-released as Chilly Scenes of Winter (1982), Crossing Delancey (1988) and Loverboy (1990); for tv, directed "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" (1976) and "Finnegan Begin Again" (1985); for stage, developed and directed musical revue Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong and feminist revue A … My Name Is Alice.

See also Women in World History.