Edwin H. Knopf (November 11, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American
film producer,
film director, and
screenwriter.
Biography
He was born 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 ...
and went to work early in his life in the editorial department of his brother
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...
's publishing business.
[ Ephraim Katz, ''The Film Encyclopedia'', First Edition (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1979)]
After trying his hand at acting, Edwin turned to producing in 1928. Soon after being involved in several hit plays, he moved to Hollywood and found work as a director and screenwriter.
Among his films as a director was ''
Paramount on Parade
''Paramount on Parade'' is a 1930 all-star American pre-Code revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Lothar Mendes, O ...
'' (1930). As a producer, he was involved in the making of such films as ''
B.F.'s Daughter'' (1948), ''
Malaya'' (1949), ''
The Law and the Lady'' (producer and director, 1951), ''
Lili
''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...
'' (1953), and ''
The Glass Slipper'' (1955).
Sketches of Edwin's early life in Italy are included in the book he wrote with his wife Mildred O. Knopf, ''The Food of Italy and How To Prepare It'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964).
Selected filmography
* ''
Paramount on Parade
''Paramount on Parade'' is a 1930 all-star American pre-Code revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Lothar Mendes, O ...
'' (1930) - director
* ''
The Rebel'' (1932) - director
*''
The Seventh Cross'' (1944) - producer
*''
The Sailor Takes a Wife'' (1945) - producer
*''
The Valley of Decision
''The Valley of Decision'' is a 1945 film directed by Tay Garnett, based on Marcia Davenport's 1942 novel of the same name. Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1870s, it stars Greer Garson and Gregory Peck. It tells the story of a young Iri ...
'' (1945) - producer
*''
The Secret Heart
''The Secret Heart'' is a 1946 film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Claudette Colbert, Walter Pidgeon and June Allyson.
Plot
Lee (Claudette Colbert) is engaged to marry Larry Adams (Richard Derr), a spendthrift widower with two childr ...
'' (1946) - producer
*''
Cynthia
Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...
'' (1947) - producer
*''
B.F.'s Daughter'' (1948) - producer
*''
Malaya'' (1949) - producer
*''
Edward, My Son'' (1949) - producer
* ''
The Law and the Lady'' (1951) - producer, director
*''
Night Into Morning
''Night Into Morning'' is a 1951 American drama film starring Ray Milland, John Hodiak and Nancy Davis.
Plot
Everything is going very well for college professor Phillip Ainley (Ray Milland), who has a loving wife and son and an offer to teach a ...
'' (1951) - producer
*''
Mr. Imperium'' (1951) - producer
*''
Fearless Fagan
''Fearless Fagan'' is a 1952 comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and stars Janet Leigh and Carleton Carpenter. It is about a clown who is drafted into the military and tries to sneak his pet lion into the service. The film was inspired by the 12 ...
'' (1952) - producer
*''
Lili
''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...
'' (1953) - producer
*''
Scandal at Scourie
''Scandal at Scourie'' is a 1953 American drama Technicolor film directed by Jean Negulesco, starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon "above the title", and co-starring Donna Corcoran. Garson and Pidgeon were together for the 8th and last time in t ...
'' (1953) - producer
*''
The Great Diamond Robbery
''The Great Diamond Robbery'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Red Skelton, James Whitmore, Cara Williams and Reginald Owen. It was produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Plot
A diamond potential ...
'' (1954) - producer
*''
The King's Thief'' (1955) - producer
*''
The Glass Slipper'' (1955) - producer
*''
Diane'' (1956) - producer
*''
Gaby'' (1956) - producer
*''
Tip on a Dead Jockey
''Tip on a Dead Jockey'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor and Dorothy Malone. It is based on ''The New Yorker'' 1954 short story by Irwin Shaw.
Plot
Phyllis Tredman is shocked when her husband ...
'' (1957) - producer
*''
The Vintage
''The Vintage'' is a 1957 American crime drama film directed by Jeffrey Hayden and starring Pier Angeli, Mel Ferrer, John Kerr, Michèle Morgan and Theodore Bikel. The screenplay was written by Michael Blankfort, based on a novel by Ursula Kei ...
'' (1957) - producer
*''
Rendezvous'' (1960–61) - producer
References
External links
*
*
Edwin H. Knopfat
TCMDB
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...
Obituaryat
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 ...
Jewish American screenwriters
1899 births
1981 deaths
Film producers from New York (state)
American male screenwriters
Writers from New York City
Film directors from New York City
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
Screenwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
Knopf family
20th-century American Jews
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