Gladys Buchanan Unger (September 16, 1884 or 1885 – May 25, 1940) was an American author who also lived in England, and who wrote plays for Broadway and the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

, as well as screenplays for

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. She was the author of well over a dozen works for the London stage, Broadway, and Hollywood.

Biography

She was born either on September 16, 1884, or September 16, 1885 in San Francisco, the daughter of Frank Unger. From the age of 3, she lived in England and was educated at South

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

. Her initial aim was to become an artist, but she turned to play writing. She was a protegee of

Charles Tyson Yerkes Charles Tyson Yerkes Jr. ( ; June 25, 1837 – December 29, 1905) was an American financier. He played a part in developing mass-transit systems in Chicago and London. Philadelphia Yerkes was born into a Quaker family in the Northern Liberties, ...

, and had $5000 a year from him, enabling her to live in some style in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London. There was speculation in the American press about the nature of the relationship between them (e.g. '' The Oakland Tribune'', 19 August 1904, quoting ''The Wasp''). From about 1907 to 1914, she lived with her mother (critic Mrs Minnie Goodman) at Loughton in a house then called Hacienda, now Kilindini, Steeds Way, Loughton. In 1920, she married a dramatic collaborator, Kai K. Ardaschir, in London. She returned to the United States intermittently and in the 1920s, permanently, and died on May 25, 1940, at the Medical Arts Center in Manhattan at age 55. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.

Works authored

* ''Mr. Sheridan'' (play, produced at the Garrick Theatre, March 1907)Reviewed in ''Lloyds Weekly News'' dated 10 March 1907 * '' The Marriage Market'' (1911) English adaptation * '' Betty'' (1916) * '' The Werewolf'' (1924) English adaptation of ''Der Werwolf'' by

Rudolph Lothar Rudolf Lothar ú:dolf ló:tar(born Rudolf Lothar Spitzer; 25 February 1865 – 2 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born Austrian writer, playwright, critic and essayist. He was born and died in Budapest. Literary works * 1891 ''Der verschleierte ...

* ''

The Heart Thief ''The Heart Thief'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Nils Olaf Chrisander and starring Joseph Schildkraut, Lya De Putti, and Robert Edeson.Bock & Bergfelder, p. 83 Cast * Joseph Schildkraut as Paul Kurt * Lya De Pu ...

'' (1927) * ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

'' (1929) * ''Marianne'' (1929) ( silent and

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

versions) * '' Madam Satan'' (1931) * '' Many a Slip'' (1931) * ''

Sylvia Scarlett ''Sylvia Scarlett'' is a 1935 American romantic comedy film starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, based on '' The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett'', a 1918 novel by Compton MacKenzie. Directed by George Cukor, it was notorious ...

'' (1935) * '' Music Is Magic'' (1935) * '' Night of Mystery'' (1937) * '' Daughter of Shanghai'' (1937) * '' Paradise for Three'' (1938)

References

External links

* * *
Gladys Unger
at Flickr
Plays by Gladys Unger on Great War Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unger, Gladys Buchanan 1880s births 1940 deaths Screenwriters from California People from Loughton Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) American women screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from San Francisco American expatriates in the United Kingdom American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American screenwriters