Herschel Goldberg (November 2, 1901 – October 1, 1980), better known as Harry Grey, was a

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

-American writer. His first book, ''The Hoods'' (1952), was the model for the 1984 film ''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' ( it, C'era una volta in America) is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture produce ...

'' by

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cine ...

, where his part was played by

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

. The book was one of the few autobiographies of real gangsters. It is believed that the real name of the author was Goldberg and that his memoir, partially factual, partially subconsciously altered, and partially fictional, was written when Goldberg was incarcerated in the Sing-Sing prison. After ''The Hoods'', Grey published two more books, ''Call Me Duke'' (1955) and ''Portrait of a Mobster'' (1958), also based on his experience as a gangster, but these had much less success. A "Golden Palm Star", part of the

Palm Springs Walk of Stars The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where "Golden Palm Stars", honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. The walk includes p ...

, was dedicated to Grey in 1999.

Biography

Grey's real name was Herschel Goldberg. Born in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

, Russia (now Kyiv, Ukraine) in 1901, son of Israel and Celia Goldberg, emigrated to the United States in 1905 and dropped out of school in the seventh grade. He was the brother of Hyman Goldberg, a syndicated columnist and food critic for the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was establishe ...

'' and author of several books including "Our Man in the Kitchen", a compilation of recipes from his column as Prudence Penny. In 1912, Goldberg's father became seriously ill and had to be taken to hospital for an operation. During his stay in hospital, Celia began cooking meals for men in the neighborhood who were saving money to bring their families to America from Europe. When Israel came out of hospital he found that Celia had a flourishing business and Israel started a restaurant. All the children, including Harry and Hyman, helped out. In 1932, Grey married Mildred Becker, a college graduate and had three children, Beverle, Harvey, and Simeon. After being hospitalized by an accident in his fifties, Harry decided to write about life in the twenties and thirties and the syndicates that controlled businesses in New York. To protect himself and his family he changed the family name to Grey. Grey died in October 1980, shortly before filming of ''

'' began. In December 1999, Harry's son Simeon sponsored a star on the

for his father under the name of Harry "Noodles" Grey. Biographical details are attached to this star.

Bibliography

* ''The Hoods'' * ''Call Me Duke'' * '' Portrait of a Mobster''

References

1910 NY Census
1915 NY Census
1920 NY Census
1925 NY Census
1930 NY Census
1940 NY Census part a
1940 NY Census part b
Death index
ObituaryObituary
/ref>

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Harry 1901 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American crime fiction writers Organized crime memoirists 20th-century American male writers Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States 20th-century pseudonymous writers

Biography

Bibliography

See also

References

External links