Claudia Weill
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Claudia Weill is an American film director best known for her film '' Girlfriends'' (1978), starring
Melanie Mayron Melanie Joy Mayron is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is best known for her role as photographer Melissa Steadman on the ABC drama ''thirtysomething'' for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sup ...
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and
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, made independently and sold to Warner Brothers after multiple awards at Cannes, Filmex and Sundance. In 2019, ''Girlfriends'' was selected by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
for preservation in the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...
for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". '' It's My Turn'' (1980 for Columbia Pictures)—with
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, and
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—won her the Donatello, or International Oscar for best new director. Earlier work includes 30 films for ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...
'', freelancing as a camerawoman, and numerous documentaries, notably '' The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir'', a documentary about the first women's delegation to China in 1973, headed by
Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...
, nominated for an Academy Award and released theatrically and on PBS.


Early life and education

In 1947, Weill was born in New York City. Weill's family was Jewish. In 1969, Weill graduated from Harvard University.


Career

Weill moved to Los Angeles in 1986. Weill began directing TV episodes of ''
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'', ''
Thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust anyo ...
'', ''
My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The Bed ...
'', ''
Once and Again ''Once and Again'' is an American family drama television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999, to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz a ...
'', ''
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'', and numerous pilots. More recently, she directed an episode of ''
Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary ...
'' for HBO. As a theater director (Williamstown, The O’Neill, Sundance, ACT, Empty Space and in New York at MTC, the Public, and Circle Rep), she won the Drama Desk's Best Director Award for the premiere of Donald Margulies’ ''Found a Peanut'' produced by Joe Papp at the
Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
in 1984. She directed ''The Belle of Belfast'' by Nate Rufus Edelman at EST and the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York, ''Twelfth Night'' for Antaeus, the West Coast Premiere of Pulitzer Prize winner ''Doubt'' by
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(with Linda Hunt) at the Pasadena Playhouse, ''Memory House'', ''End Days'', ''Tape'', numerous workshops of ''Modern Orthodox'', ''Adam Baum and the Jew Movie'' (Goldfarb), ''The Parents' Evening'' by
Bathsheba Doran Bathsheba "Bash" Doran is a British-born playwright and TV scriptwriter living in New York City. Life Bathsheba Doran, nicknamed "Bash", grew up in London and studied at Cambridge University. Her mother is the Elizabethan historian, Susan Doran ...
at the Vineyard Playhouse, and ''Huck and Holden'' by Rajiv Joseph at the Black Dahlia, among others. In 1979, the
Supersisters ''Supersisters'' was a set of 72 trading cards produced and distributed in the United States in 1979 by Supersisters, Inc. They featured famous women from politics, media and entertainment, culture, sports, and other areas of achievement. The ca ...
trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Weill's name and picture. When making her follow-up to ''Girlfriends'', '' It's My Turn'', Weill experienced sexism and sexual harassment from producer
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. He also interfered with her vision of the film. Due to this she directed no more feature films. Weill has taught directing for film, television and/or theater at Harvard, Juilliard, Cal Arts, USC Graduate School of Cinema Studies, Columbia, The New School and Sarah Lawrence College. She mentors playwrights and directors.


Filmography


Films

This is a partial list of films credited as director: * 1975 '' The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir'' * 1978 '' Girlfriends'' * 1980 '' It's My Turn'' * 1986 ''Johnny Bull'' (TV movie) * 1988 ''Giving Up the Ghost'' (TV movie) * 1991 ''Face of a Stranger'' (TV movie) * 1992 ''A Child Lost Forever'' (TV movie) * 1996 ''Critical Choices'' (TV movie) * 2013 ''
He's Way More Famous Than You ''He's Way More Famous Than You'' is a 2013 American comedy film written by and starring Halley Feiffer and Ryan Spahn, and directed by Michael Urie, who also costars. The film also stars Jesse Eisenberg, Ben Stiller, Mamie Gummer, Ralph Macchio, ...
'' as herself


Personal life

In 1985, Weill married Walter S. Teller. They have two sons, Sam Teller and Eli Teller.


References


External links

*
Claudia Weill at playingonair.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weill, Claudia American television directors American women film directors 20th-century American Jews American women television directors Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Harvard University alumni 1947 births 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American women 21st-century American women Jewish American film directors Jewish American screenwriters