Herbert Ross

In 1965. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Choreography for Anyone Can Whistle in 1964. On screen, he was known for directing musicals and comedies such as Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Sunshine Boys, Funny Lady (both 1975), The Goodbye Girl (1977), California Suite (1978), and Pennies From Heaven (1981). His later films included Footloose (1984), and Steel Magnolias (1989). For the drama The Turning Point (1977), he received two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director and received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.

Herbert Ross studied at HB Studio. The recorded working language is English. Distinctions recorded are National Board of Review Award for Best Film, Golden Globe Award for Best Director, American Choreography Awards and David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director.

• Name — Herbert Ross • Birth Name — Herbert David Ross • Born — 13 May 1927 • Birthplace — New York City, New York, U.S. • Died — 9 October 2001 • Place of death — New York City, New York, U.S. • Resting Place — Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery • Occupation — Film director, theatre director, film producer, theatre producer, choreographer, dancer • Years Active — 1942–1995

Ross was born on May 13, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Louis Chester Ross, a postal clerk, and his wife Martha (née Grundfast). His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants. When Ross was nine, his mother died and his father moved the family to Miami and opened a luncheonette. After dropping out of high school, Ross initially went to New York to pursue an acting career. However, during his work there, he was captivated by dance and went on to study it.

Dancer In 1942, Ross' stage debut came as "Third Witch" in a touring company of Macbeth. The next year brought his first Broadway performance credits with Something for the Boys, as a dancer. Ross was a dancer in Follow the Girls (1943–44), Laffing Room Only (1944–45), Beggar's Holiday (1946–47), and Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!. Choreographer By 1950, he was a choreographer with the American Ballet Theatre and choreographed his first Broadway production, the Arthur Schwartz-Dorothy Fields musical adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951). For TV he choreographed All Star Revue, The Milton Berle Show, and The Steve Allen Plymouth Show. Ross's first film assignment came as an uncredited choreographer on Carmen Jones (1954). Back on Broadway he choreographed House of Flowers (1954) for Peter Brook, and The Body Beautiful (1958). He choreographed some TV specials: The Jerry Lewis Show (1957), Wonderful Town (1958), Meet Me in St Louis (1959) and A Christmas Festival (1959). On Broadway Ross directed and choreographed a revival of Finian's Rainbow (1960). In 1965, Ross choreographed the original production of On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever and, without credit, took over the helm from the director of record, Robert Lewis, when the musical ran into trouble in Boston during its pre-Broadway tryout tour. Ross went to England where he choreographed the feature film The Young Ones (1961), starring Cliff Richard. He returned to Broadway to be musical director on The Gay Life (1961–62) and I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962), the latter directed by Arthur Laurents and starring Barbra Streisand. He choreographed The Bacchantes (1961) in Italy. Ross then choreographed a second Cliff Richard musical in England, Summer Holiday (1963). On Broadway he choreographed Tovarich (1963) with Vivien Leigh and Anyone Can Whistle (1964) with Laurents. For TV he did musical numbers for The Fantasticks (1964), The Bell Telephone Hour, Delia Scala Show (1962), Rinaldo in campo (1963), and The Nut House!! (1964) and staged numbers for the films Inside Daisy Clover (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and Doctor Dolittle (1967). On Broadway Ross directed and choreographed Kelly (1965), and choreographed Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965-66). He did some additional staging on The Apple Tree (1966–67) directed by Mike Nichols. Ross was choreographer and director of musical numbers for Funny Girl (1968), produced by Ray Stark.

Ross had a huge hit with Footloose (1984). He followed this with two comedies, Protocol (1984) with Goldie Hawn and The Secret of My Success (1987) with Michael J. Fox. Less successful was Dancers (1987). Ross had one last big hit with another play adaptation, Steel Magnolias (1989). In the 1990s, he directed My Blue Heaven (1990), True Colors (1991), Undercover Blues (1993) and Boys on the Side (1995).

In 1959, he married Nora Kaye, a ballerina, with whom he produced four films. In 1987, his wife Nora died of cancer. In September 1988, he married for the second time to Lee Radziwiłł, the younger sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The marriage ended in divorce in 2001, shortly before his death. In 2013, Radziwiłł described their relationship as follows: He was certainly different from anybody else I'd been involved with, and the film world sounded exciting. Well, it wasn't. I hated Hollywood, and the provincialism of the industry... Herbert had been married to the ballerina Nora Kaye until she died, and unbeknownst to me was still obsessed by her. It was 'Nora said this, Nora did it like that, Nora liked brown and orange.'

On October 9, 2001, Ross died from heart failure in New York City. A memorial was held for him at the Majestic Theater on West 44th Street in New York where Leslie Browne, Barbara Cook, Arthur Laurents, Marsha Mason, Mike Nichols and Mary-Louise Parker spoke of Ross. He was interred with Kaye in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. The 2011 remake of Footloose was dedicated to Ross' memory.

• Year — Title — Contributed to — Role — Notes • Directing — Choreo. — Acting — Dancing • 1942 — Macbeth — 3rd Witch — Touring • 1943-44 — Something for the Boys • 1944-46 — Follow the Girls — Dancing Boy • 1944-45 — Laffing Room Only — Ensemble member • 1946-47 — Beggar's Holiday • 1948 — Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'! • 1951 — A Tree Grows in Brooklyn • 1952 — Three Wishes for Jamie • 1954-55 — House of Flowers • 1955-56 — The Amazing Adele • 1958 — The Body Beautiful • 1960 — Finian's Rainbow • 1961-62 — The Gay Life — Musical staging • 1962 — I Can Get It for You Wholesale • 1963 — Hot Spot • Tovarich • 1964 — Anyone Can Whistle • Dylan • Anyone Can Whistle • 1965 — Do I Hear a Waltz? • Kelly • 1965-65 — On a Clear Day You Can See Forever • 1966-67 — The Apple Tree — Addt. Musical staging • 1977-79 — Chapter Two • 1980-81 — I Ought to Be in Pictures • 1985 — Follies • The Boys of Winter — Left during previews • 1995 — Anyone Can Whistle Sources:

• Year — Title — Contributed to — Notes • Directing — Producing — Choreo. • 1953 — All Star Revue • 1953-54 — Texco Berle Theater • 1954 — Wonderful Town — Television film • The Paul Winchell Show • 1954-56 — The Martha Raye Show • 1956 — The Steve Allen Show • 1957 — The Jerry Lewis Show — Special • 1959 — Meet Me in St. Louis — Television film • A Christmas Festival • 1963 — Rinaldo in campo • 1964-66 — The Bell Telephone Hour — 6 episodes • 1964 — The Nut House!! — Special • Hallmark Hall of Fame — Episode: "The Fantasticks" • Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall • 1986 — Great Performances — Episode: "Follies in Concert" • 1994 — Placido Domingo's Tales from the Opera — Episode: "La bohème"

The authorities additionally record the heading Herbert David Ross. His recorded language was English. He married Nora Kaye and Lee Radziwill.

Herbert Ross is recorded as film producer, actor, choreographer, director and dancer.

His film directorial debut came with the musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), made by MGM-British, with Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark. It was produced by Arthur P. Jacobs who had made Doctor Dolittle two years prior, and just like that film, Goodbye, Mr. Chips was a box-office disappointment. However, Ross' second feature as director, The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), was a big hit. The film was produced by Ray Stark and stars Streisand. Ross did T.R. Baskin (1971) then Play It Again, Sam (1972), the latter produced by Jacobs and starring Woody Allen based on his play. Ross made The Last of Sheila (1973) co-written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, and Funny Lady (1975) with Stark and Streisand. Ross directed The Sunshine Boys (1975) based on a play and script by Neil Simon, starting a long collaboration between the two men; Stark produced. Ross directed The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), and The Turning Point (1977); Ross produced the latter. Ross had two big hits with Simon scripts produced by Stark, The Goodbye Girl (1977) and California Suite (1978). Ross returned to Broadway to direct Neil Simon's Chapter Two (1977–79). After doing the ballet film Nijinsky (1980) he directed Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures (1980–81) on Broadway. He followed this with Pennies from Heaven (1981) and the film version of I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982). His last film with Simon was Max Dugan Returns (1983).

• Year — Title — Contributed to — Note • Directing — Producing — Choreo. • 1954 — Carmen Jones — Uncredited • 1961 — The Bacchantes • The Young Ones • 1963 — Summer Holiday • 1965 — Inside Daisy Clover — Musical staging • 1966 — Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — Uncredited • 1967 — Doctor Dolittle — Musical staging • 1968 — Funny Girl • 1969 — Goodbye, Mr. Chips — Directorial Debut • 1970 — The Owl and the Pussycat • 1971 — T.R. Baskin • 1972 — Play It Again, Sam • 1973 — The Last of Sheila • 1975 — The Sunshine Boys • Funny Lady — Musical staging • 1976 — The Seven-Per-Cent Solution • 1977 — The Turning Point • The Goodbye Girl • 1978 — California Suite • 1980 — Nijinsky • 1981 — Pennies From Heaven • 1982 — I Ought to Be in Pictures • 1983 — Max Dugan Returns • 1984 — Footloose • Protocol • 1987 — The Secret of My Success • Dancers • 1989 — Steel Magnolias • 1990 — My Blue Heaven • 1991 — True Colors • Soapdish — Executive • 1993 — Undercover Blues • 1995 — Boys on the Side

• Institution — Year — Category — Work — Result • American Choreography Awards — 1997 — Career Achievement Award • Academy Awards — 1977 — Best Picture — The Turning Point • Best Director • David di Donatello — 1978 — Best Foreign Director — The Goodbye Girl • Directors Guild of America Awards — 1977 — Outstanding Directing - Feature Film — The Turning Point • Giffoni Film Festival — 1971 — Golden Gryphon — Goodbye, Mr. Chips • Golden Globe Awards — 1977 — Best Director — The Turning Point • Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards — 1977 — Best Director • Moscow International Film Festival — 1995 — Golden St. George — Boys on the Side • Tokyo International Film Festival — 1987 — Grand Prix — Dancers • Tony Award — 1964 — Best Choreography — Anyone Can Whistle • Valladolid International Film Festival — 1976 — Best Film — The Sunshine Boys Awards and nominations for Ross' directed motion pictures • Year — Film — Academy Awards — BAFTAs — Golden Globes • Nominations — Wins — Nominations — Wins — Nominations — Wins • 1969 — Goodbye, Mr. Chips — 2 — 3 — 1 • 1970 — The Owl and the Pussycat — 1 • 1975 — Funny Lady — 5 — 6 • The Sunshine Boys — 4 — 1 — 2 — 5 — 4 • 1976 — The Seven-Per-Cent Solution — 2 • 1977 — The Turning Point — 11 — 1 — 6 — 2 • The Goodbye Girl — 5 — 1 — 3 — 1 — 5 — 4 • 1978 — California Suite — 3 — 1 — 1 — 2 — 1 • 1981 — Pennies from Heaven — 3 — 3 — 1 • 1984 — Footloose — 2 — 1 • 1987 — The Secret of My Success — 1 • 1989 — Steel Magnolias — 1 — 1 — 2 — 1 • Total — 38 — 3 — 8 — 1 — 35 — 14

Under Ross' direction, these actors have earned Oscar nominations and wins for their performances in these respective roles. • Year — Performer — Film — Result • Best Actor Oscar • 1970 — Peter O'Toole — Goodbye, Mr. Chips • 1976 — Walter Matthau — The Sunshine Boys • 1978 — Richard Dreyfuss — The Goodbye Girl • Best Actress Oscar • 1978 — Anne Bancroft — The Turning Point • Shirley MacLaine • Marsha Mason — The Goodbye Girl • Best Supporting Actor Oscar • 1976 — George Burns — The Sunshine Boys • 1978 — Mikhail Baryshnikov — The Turning Point • Best Supporting Actress Oscar • 1978 — Leslie Browne — The Turning Point • Quinn Cummings — The Goodbye Girl • 1979 — Maggie Smith — California Suite • 1990 — Julia Roberts — Steel Magnolias