Peter Askin (born 1940) is an actor, director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing the 2007 film '' Trumbo'', a documentary about the Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) ...

who was

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...

ed for being a member of the

Hollywood Ten The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying empl ...

. For the film, he worked closely with Trumbo's son, Christopher Trumbo.

Biography

Born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, Askin is the son of Alma Askin, the daughter of

Joseph Durst Joseph Durst (January 15, 1882 – December 31, 1973) was an American real estate developer, founder of the Durst Organization, and patriarch of the Durst family. Early life Born to a Jewish family, Durst immigrated to the US from Gorlice, Gal ...

, the founder of the

Durst Organization The Durst Organization is one of the oldest family-run commercial and residential real estate companies in New York City. Established in 1915, the company is owned and operated by the third generation of the Durst family. As of 2014, it owns and ...

and member of one of the most prominent real estate families in New York City in the 20th century. He was educated at Middlebury College and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

.Hischak, Thomas S
''Enter the Playmakers: Directors and Choreographers on the New York Stage''
2006 He trained under

Wynn Handman Wynn Handman (May 19, 1922 – April 11, 2020) was the Artistic Director of The American Place Theatre, which he co-founded with Sidney Lanier and Michael Tolan in 1963. His role in the theatre was to seek out, encourage, train, and present ...

The American Place Theatre The American Place Theatre was founded in 1963 by Wynn Handman, Sidney Lanier, and Michael Tolan at St. Clement's Church, 423 West 46th Street in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, and was incorporated as a not-for-profit theatre in that year. Tenness ...

in New York City. Askin made his debut in 1986 with ''Down an Alley Filled with Cats.'' Askin was the screenwriter for such films as ''

Company Man A company man in the petroleum industry refers to a representative of an operating/exploration company. Other terms that may be used are company representative, foreman, drill site supervisor (DSV), company consultant, rigsite leader or "well sit ...

'' (which he also co-directed) and '' Smithereens'', and he directed and produced the musical '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch''. Askin operates the Off-Broadway

Westside Theatre The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs Theatre, which s ...

. Askin is the Principal Producer of New York-based film and entertainment company Reno Productions. Both fictional movies and documentaries are produced. In 2022 Askin released ''Salt in My Soul''."’Salt in My Soul’ Review: Living, Even Thriving, With Illness"
by Ben Kenigsberg, ''The New York Times''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Askin, Peter American male screenwriters American people of Austrian-Jewish descent American documentary filmmakers Jewish American male actors Jewish American screenwriters 1940 births Living people Durst family Middlebury College alumni Columbia University alumni