James M. Nederlander (March 31, 1922 – July 25, 2016) was an American theatrical producer who served as chairman of the

Nederlander Organization The Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander in Detroit, and currently based in New York City, is one of the largest operators of live theaters and music venues in the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on ...

, one of the largest operators of live theaters and music venues in the United States.New York Magazine: "Jimmy Nederlander's Endless Run" By Eric Konigsberg
retrieved August 3, 2013 He was a 10-time Tony Award winner and was nominated for 37 Tony Awards.

Early life and education

Nederlander was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

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, one of six children of Sarah (née Applebaum) and David T. "D.T." Nederlander. His father bought his first live theater in 1905, the Fisher Theater in Detroit (which is no longer owned by the family) and founded the family company, the

. He has four brothers: Harry,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, Fred, and

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

; and one sister, Frances.

Career

Jimmy was the first of the brothers to go into the family business. He dropped out of the pre-law program at the

Detroit Institute of Technology The Detroit Institute of Technology was a private four-year technical college in Detroit, Michigan that closed operations in 1981. History First called the Association Institute, the private school was founded in 1891 as a YMCA evening school ...

, took a job in the box office of the Lafayette Theater, and then worked as the treasurer in the traveling Air Force production of

Moss Hart Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director. Early years Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...

's ''Winged Victory'' which played on Broadway where he made valuable connections. After his father's death in the 1960s, the Nederlander brothers continued to purchase theaters expanding nationally with Jimmy moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Harry to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, and Joey remaining in Detroit. Their largest rivals were the

Shubert family The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...

, the founders of

Broadway theatre district New York City's Theater District (sometimes spelled Theatre District, and officially zoned as the "Theater Subdistrict") is an area and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters ...

in New York City. From 1965 to 1985, Jimmy purchased ten theaters in New York City and produced hundreds of plays forming close relationships with producers

David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gradua ...

Alexander H. Cohen Alexander H. Cohen (July 24, 1920 – April 22, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who mounted more than one hundred productions on both sides of the Atlantic. He was the only American producer to maintain offices in the West End as well a ...

, and

Emanuel Azenberg Emanuel "Manny" Azenberg (born January 22, 1934) is an American theatre producer and general manager whose professional relationship with playwright Neil Simon spans thirty-three years. Life and career Azenberg was born in The Bronx, the son of Han ...

. In 1973, Nederlander and his brothers joined with

George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving own ...

as limited partners when Steinbrenner purchased the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. The Nederlander Organization controls nine Broadway theaters and is the second largest owner, of the three companies that dominate Broadway after the Shubert Organization (which owns sixteen theaters) and ahead of

Jujamcyn Jujamcyn Theaters LLC , formerly the Jujamcyn Amusement Corporation, is a theatrical producing and theatre-ownership company in New York City. For many years Jujamcyn was owned by James H. Binger, former Chairman of Honeywell, and his wife, Virgi ...

(which owns five). The Nederlander Organization owns a larger number of theater houses than the others with an additional fifteen theaters nationwide. They are the only one of the three that is still run by its owners.

Personal life

Nederlander was married twice. His first wife was Barbara Smith with whom he has a son, James L. Nederlander. In 1969, he married his second wife Charlene Saunders (born 1934). Broadway in Chicago announced on November 13, 2018, that the Oriental Theater was to be renamed in honor of James, the founder of Broadway In Chicago. On February 8, 2019 the venue unveiled its newly renovated marquee, vertical blade sign and signage as the ''

James M. Nederlander Theatre The James M. Nederlander Theatre is a theater located at 24 West Randolph Street in the Loop area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Previously known as the Oriental Theatre, it opened in 1926 as a deluxe movie palace and vaudeville venue. Today the ...

''.

Awards and nominations

Tony Awards

Drama Desk Awards

References

External links

Nederlander Producing Company of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nederlander, James M. 1922 births 2016 deaths Nederlander Organization 20th-century American Jews American theatre managers and producers New York Yankees owners Detroit Institute of Technology alumni Nederlander family Special Tony Award recipients Tony Award winners 21st-century American Jews