Bernard Weinraub (born December 19, 1937) is an American journalist and playwright.

Early life and education

Weinraub was born in 1937 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

.Robert W. Welkos
Bernard Weinraub explores media frenzy in 'Above the Fold'
''The Los Angeles Times'', January 29, 2014Naomi Pfefferman
Bernard Weinraub: When the news is not fit to print
''

The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', known simply as the ''Jewish Journal'', is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. ''The Journal'' w ...

'', January 31, 2014 His parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. He graduated from the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Career

After graduating from college, he was drafted into the Army and served for two years on a newspaper.''Huntington Theatre Company''
"Bernard Weinraub"
June 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2019. For most of his career he worked as a foreign correspondent with the New York Times including home bases in Saigon, London, Nairobi and New Delhi. He also covered the White House and the movie business in Los Angeles.

Journalism

He worked as a reporter for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''.Nikki Finke
Bernard Weinraub calling it quits at The New York Times
'' LA Weekly'', July 22, 2004 He started as a copyboy in his twenties, eventually being assigned as a foreign correspondent in Saigon,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

, then

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. From 1991 to 2004, he covered the film industry in Los Angeles. He retired in 2005, publishing an article about Hollywood and its values.Bernard Weinraub
14 Years Later, My Hollywood Ending
''

'', January 30, 2005Jordan Riefe
Journalist-Turned-Playwright Bernard Weinraub Previews His Play 'Above the Fold'
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'', January 29, 2014

Theatre

The Accomplices

As a playwright, he published his first play, '' The Accomplices'', in 2007. It dealt with the refusal of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's administration to admit more Jews during

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The play was performed both in New York and Los Angeles, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. ''Los Angeles Times'' critic Charles McNulty said that "no one gets off the hook" in the play, including Weinraub's former employer ''The New York Times'', except for

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

. He commended Weinraub's journalism skills but faulted "the phony telegraphic manner in which it’s dramatized." In the ''Times'', which was negatively mentioned in the play, critic David Ng faulted ''Accomplices'' as "a mind-numbing history lesson" and a "soporific lecture of a play."

Above the Fold

His second play, out in 2014, was ''Above the Fold''. Based on the

Duke lacrosse case The Duke lacrosse case was a widely reported 2006 criminal case in Durham, North Carolina, United States in which three members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team were falsely accused of rape. The three students were David Evans, Collin ...

, it shows the struggles of an African American journalist who realizes the scandal is phony while covering it. It premiered at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

in Pasadena, California. It was directed by

Steven Robman Steven I. "Steve" Robman (born September 27, 1944) is an American television and theatre director/ producer. Biography He graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California (1962), University of California, Berkeley (1966), ...

and the lead actress was Taraji P. Henson.

Personal life

He has been married twice. He has two children, son Jesse Nicholas and daughter Claire from his first marriage to Judith Weinraub. He met

Amy Pascal Amy Beth Pascal (born March 25, 1958) is an American film producer and business executive. She served as the Chairperson of the Motion Pictures Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Co-Chairperson of SPE, including Sony Pictures Televis ...

, a film industry executive, at

The Peninsula Beverly Hills The Peninsula Beverly Hills is a luxury, five-star hotel at the intersection of South California State Route 2, Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard. The hotel is part of The Peninsula Hotels, a chain owned by Hongkong and Shanghai Hote ...

in 1996; they got married in 1997. They reside in Brentwood, a Western suburb of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, with their son Anthony.

Bibliography

*''Bylines'' (Doubleday, 1982).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinraub, Bernard 1939 births Living people Journalists from New York City People from Brentwood, Los Angeles City University of New York alumni American war correspondents of the Vietnam War American male journalists The New York Times writers People involved in plagiarism controversies 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Jewish American journalists American male dramatists and playwrights Journalists from California United States Army soldiers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American Jews