Abby Mann (December 1, 1927 – March 25, 2008) was an American film writer and producer.

Life and career

The son of

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 ...

immigrants, Mann was born as Abraham Goodman in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. He grew up in

East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania East Pittsburgh is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, about southeast of the confluence of the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers at Pittsburgh. The population in 1900 stood at 2,883, and in 1910, at 5,615. As of the 2020 census, ...

. Douglas Martin
"Abby Mann, 'Nuremberg' Screenwriter, Dies at 83"
nytimes.com, March 28, 2008. He was best known for his work on controversial subjects and social drama. His best known work is the screenplay for ''

Judgment at Nuremberg ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' is a 1961 American epic courtroom drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, written by Abby Mann and starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene D ...

'' (1961), which was initially a

television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

that aired in 1959.

Stanley Kramer Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous "message picture, message films" (he would call his movies ''heavy dramas'') and a libera ...

directed the film adaptation, for which Mann received the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

. In his acceptance speech, he said: Mann later adapted the play for a 2001 production on Broadway, which featured

Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was an Austrian-born Swiss actor, who also wrote, directed and produced some of his own films. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1961 American film '' Judgment at Nuremberg'', ...

from the 1961 film in a different role. In the introduction to the printed script, Mann credited a conversation with

Abraham Pomerantz Abraham Louis Pomerantz (March 22, 1903 – November 20, 1982) was an American attorney who "pioneered shareholder suits against major corporations and for a time directed the prosecution of German industrialists after World War II." He also defen ...

, U.S. Chief Deputy Counsel, for giving him the initial interest in Nuremberg. Mann and Kramer also collaborated on the films ''

Ship of Fools The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...

'' and '' A Child Is Waiting.'' While working for television, he created the series ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...

'', starring

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...

. Mann was executive producer, but was also credited as a writer on many episodes. His other writing credits include the screenplays for the television films '' The Marcus-Nelson Murders'', '' The Atlanta Child Murders'', '' Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story'', and ''Indictment: The McMartin Trial'', as well as the film ''War and Love''. He also directed the 1978 NBC TV miniseries ''

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

''. In 1974, he signed a deal with

Columbia Pictures Television Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gem ...

to develop long-form television projects.

Personal life

Mann was married to Myra Maislin. His wife had two children from a previous marriage, Adrienne Cohen Isom and Aaron Cohen, a former Israeli Duvdevan Unit Special Forces operative.Aaron Cohen and Douglas Century
''Brotherhood of Warriors''
harpercollins.com; accessed December 31, 2017. Mann died of heart failure in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

on March 25, 2008, aged 80. He died one day after

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...

, one of the stars of ''Judgment at Nuremberg''. Mann is interred in Culver City's

Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California. Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (desig ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Port of Escape ''Port of Escape'' is a 1956 British thriller film directed by Tony Young and starring Googie Withers, John McCallum, Bill Kerr and Joan Hickson. Plot Two sailors, one Australian and one American, are kicked off their ship when it docks in Lo ...

'' (1956) * ''

'' (1961) * '' A Child Is Waiting'' (1963) * ''

'' (1965) * '' The Detective'' (1968) * '' The Marcus-Nelson Murders'' (1973) * ''

'' (1978, also director) * '' The Atlanta Child Murders'' (1985) * '' Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story'' (1992)

References

External links

*
1961 Academy Award winners list
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Abby 1927 births 2008 deaths American male screenwriters American television writers Television producers from Pennsylvania Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Primetime Emmy Award winners Writers from Pittsburgh People from Greater Los Angeles Writers from Philadelphia American people of Russian-Jewish descent American male television writers Screenwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters