Gregor Collins (born August 22, 1976) is an American author, speaker, actor and former
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
producer, best known for playing Matt in the
mumblecore
Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent filmHoberman, J. (August 14, 2007).It's Mumblecore!. ''The Village Voice''. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.Lim, Dennis (August 19, 2007)Mumblecore – The New Talkies: Generation DIY ''The New York Times''. Ret ...
film ''
Goodbye Promise
''Goodbye Promise'' is a mumblecore feature film, directed by web source/radio show ''Film Courage'' co-creator David Branin, and stars Gregor Collins, who co-wrote it. It also stars Sarah Prikryl and Brian Ronalds. It became the first movie ever ...
'', and for writing the memoir ''
The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann'', as well as its sequel, ''The Accidental Caregiver Part II: Saying Yes to a World without Maria Altmann''.
Early life
Collins spent his childhood and adolescent years in the Washington, D.C. area and attended Centreville High School in
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...
, where he was the top-seeded player on his school golf team. Collins subsequently received a golf grant to
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...
, played for a semester, then transferred to
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
for two more semesters before taking a year off to work as a production assistant for the television series ''
World Business Review'' with
Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American statesman and businessman. As a prominent Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, including chairman of the Californ ...
. He completed his undergraduate studies at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
, where he majored in Media Production.
Career
Collins moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue a career in entertainment. He worked his way into producing various
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
shows such as
''Blind Date'', ''
Celebrity Mole: Yucatán'', and
E!.
In 2004 he began to pursue professional acting, eventually performing on stage, in television and in independent films, landing lead roles in the indie feature ''Night Before the Wedding'' and the improvised feature
Goodbye Promise
''Goodbye Promise'' is a mumblecore feature film, directed by web source/radio show ''Film Courage'' co-creator David Branin, and stars Gregor Collins, who co-wrote it. It also stars Sarah Prikryl and Brian Ronalds. It became the first movie ever ...
.
In October 2014 Collins moved to the
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Murray Hill is a neighborhood on the east side of Manhattan in New York City. Murray Hill is generally bordered to the east by the East River or Kips Bay and to the west by Midtown Manhattan, though the exact boundaries are disputed. Murray Hil ...
section of
New York, living with and serving as a
caregiver
A caregiver or carer is a paid or unpaid member of a person's social network who helps them with activities of daily living. Since they have no specific professional training, they are often described as informal caregivers. Caregivers most commo ...
to Austrian painter
Ruth Rogers-Altmann
Ruth Rogers-Altmann (December 31, 1917 – October 11, 2015) was a Vienna-born painter and fashion designer who lived most of her life in New York. She is the mother of Susan Costello Friedman, former editorial director of Abbeville Press, and A ...
while he prepared a stage production of his book
The Accidental Caregiver
''The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved, and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann'' is a 2012 memoir by Gregor Collins, recounting the three years he was a caregiver for Maria Altmann, as well as a stageplay, which premiered at the ...
, about his experience caring for Rogers-Altmann's cousin
Maria Altmann
Maria Altmann (née Maria Victoria Bloch, later Bloch-Bauer; February 18, 1916 – February 7, 2011) was an Austrian-American Jewish refugee from Austria, who fled her home country after it was annexed to the Third Reich. She is noted for her u ...
.
Collins has written essays for
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
,
Focus (German magazine),
Life Matters Media
Life Matters Media is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering news, information, education and resources for those involved in end of life decision-making.
The organization was founded in 2013 by WGN-TV journalist Randi Beli ...
, ''Theater That Matters'', ''Film Courage'', ''Filmmaking Stuff'', and has been a regular contributor to
CINEMAEDITOR since 2013.
''The Accidental Caregiver''
In 2012 Collins published the memoir
The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann, detailing his chance meeting and unusual bond with
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...
heiress
Maria Altmann
Maria Altmann (née Maria Victoria Bloch, later Bloch-Bauer; February 18, 1916 – February 7, 2011) was an Austrian-American Jewish refugee from Austria, who fled her home country after it was annexed to the Third Reich. She is noted for her u ...
, culminating in her death in early 2011.
In 2015 a
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
translation of the book was published.
Collins gives keynote speeches around the world sharing his experience as Altmann's caregiver, often working with the
Women's International Zionist Organization
The Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO; he, ויצו ') is a volunteer organization dedicated to social welfare in all sectors of Israeli society, the advancement of the status of women, and Jewish education in Israel and the Dias ...
.
Stage plays
''The Accidental Caregiver'' stageplay world premiered at the Robert Moss Theater in New York City on January 26, 2015, and was directed by British theatre director Alice Kornitzer.
The play also had a staged reading at the
Austrian Cultural Forum New York
The Austrian Cultural Forum New York (ACFNY) is one of Austria's two cultural representation offices in the United States; the other is in Washington, D.C. It is part of the worldwide network of Austrian Cultural Forums overseen by the Austri ...
on June 25, 2015, which was directed by Collins. Actors
Christian Scheider
Christian Scheider (born January 20, 1990) is an American writer, filmmaker, and stage artist.
Early life
Scheider was born in New York City, the son of actor Roy Scheider and actress Brenda Siemer. Christian Scheider is a graduate of Bard Colle ...
and
Rochelle Slovin
Rochelle Slovin is an American stage actress, and founding director of Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, New York City, which she led for 30 years, from 1981 until 2011. A native New Yorker, Slovin was educated at Cornell University a ...
read the parts of Gregor and Maria, respectively.
In November 2015 Collins wrote the
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
-inspired dark comedy ''Pentonville'' for the ''Manhattan Repertory Theatre'' in New York, which was directed by
Jonathan Stuart Cerullo
Jonathan Stuart Cerullo (born December 21, 1960) is an American director and choreographer, executive producer, and former performer. Cerullo is known for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. He has also worked in circus, film, ...
. In June 2016 Collins created, co-wrote and co-produced the black comedy series ''Stories'' for the
People's Improv Theater in New York.
In January 2017 Collins' play ''The Secret World Inside Me'' was developed and performed as a staged reading at the ''IATI Theater'' in New York.
Filmography
References
External links
*
Official websiteInterview with Gregor Collinsabout Maria Altmann, Austria and Nazi Art Theft on Media Mayhem with host Allison Hope Weiner.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Gregor
1976 births
Living people
Male actors from Washington, D.C.
Writers from Washington, D.C.
Ohio Wesleyan University alumni
Florida State University alumni
People from Murray Hill, Manhattan