Ernest Lehman

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One of the most critically and commercially successful screenwriters in Hollywood history, Lehman grew up on Long Island, graduated from NY's City College. One of his first jobs was as a copywriter for a Broadway publicist. This experience would later be reflected in his novel and screenplay, "Sweet Smell of Success." He also worked as a radio ... See full bio »

Born:

December 8, 1915 in New York City, New York, USA

Died:

July 2, 2005 (age 89) in Los Angeles, California, USA

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Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards »

Known For

Sabrina Writer

(1954)

North by Northwest Writer

(1959)

West Side Story Writer

(1961)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Writer

(1966)

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Filmography

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Writer (25 credits)

1995 Sabrina (earlier screenplay)

1990 The 62nd Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) (written by)

1979 The French Atlantic Affair (TV Mini-Series) (novel - 3 episodes)

- Episode #1.3 (1979) ... (novel)

- Episode #1.2 (1979) ... (novel)

- Episode #1.1 (1979) ... (novel)

1977 Black Sunday (screenplay by)

1976 Family Plot (screenplay)

1972 Portnoy's Complaint

1969 Sen bir meleksin (story)

1969 Hello, Dolly! (written for the screen by)

1966 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (screenplay)

1965 The Sound of Music (screenplay)

1963 The Prize (screenplay)

1961 West Side Story (screenplay)

1960 From the Terrace (screenplay)

1959 North by Northwest (written by)

1957 TV de Vanguarda (TV Series) (play - 1 episode)

- Coluna de Escândalos (1957) ... (play)

1957 Sweet Smell of Success (novella) / (screenplay)

1957 Playhouse 90 (TV Series) (novelette - 1 episode)

- The Comedian (1957) ... (novelette)

1956 Somebody Up There Likes Me (screenplay)

1956 The King and I (screenplay)

1955 Lux Video Theatre (TV Series) (original screenplay - 1 episode)

- The Inside Story (1955) ... (original screenplay)

1954 The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series) (story - 1 episode)

- Slide, Darling, Slide (1954) ... (story)

1954 Sabrina (written for the screen by)

1954 Executive Suite (screen play)

1949 The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (TV Series) (1 episode)

- The Unguarded Moment (1949)

1948 The Inside Story (story)

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Producer (3 credits)

1972 Portnoy's Complaint (producer)

1969 Hello, Dolly! (producer)

1966 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (producer - uncredited)

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Soundtrack (2 credits)

2005 Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (Video) (lyrics: "I Have Confidence")

1965 The Sound of Music (lyrics: "I Have Confidence" (1965) - uncredited)

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Director (1 credit)

1972 Portnoy's Complaint

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Thanks (1 credit)

1994 The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomenon (Video documentary) (sincere appreciation)

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Self (8 credits)

2004 American Masters (TV Series documentary)
Himself

- Cary Grant: A Class Apart (2004) ... Himself

2002 Intimate Portrait (TV Series documentary)
Himself

- Audrey Hepburn (2002) ... Himself

2001 The 73rd Annual Academy Awards (TV Special)
Himself - Honorary Award Recipient

2000 Destination Hitchcock: The Making of 'North by Northwest' (Video documentary short)
Himself

1999 Reputations (TV Series documentary)
Himself - Screenwriter, North By Northwest

- Hitch: Alfred the Auteur (1999) ... Himself - Screenwriter, North By Northwest

- Hitch: Alfred the Great (1999) ... Himself - Screenwriter, North By Northwest

1998 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (TV Special documentary)
Himself

1994 The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomenon (Video documentary)
Himself

1979 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Alfred Hitchcock (TV Special documentary)
Himself

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Archive footage (2 credits)

2015 Once in a Lew Moon (Documentary)
Himself

2006 The 78th Annual Academy Awards (TV Special)
Himself - Memorial Tribute

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Personal Details

Other Works:

Stage: His play, "Who Cares?," was performed at the Fortune Theatre in London, England, with Alec Clunes and Denholm Elliott in the cast. See more »

Publicity Listings:

2 Print Biographies | 1 Portrayal | 2 Articles | 1 Pictorial | See more »

Official Sites:

Writers Guild of America (WGA): "Written By" article (June/July 2001)

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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

[on writing "North by Northwest" (1959) for Alfred Hitchcock] I wanted to write the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures.

Trivia:

His first collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock was supposed to be an adaptation of Hammond Innes's well-known novel "The Wreck Of The 'Mary Deare'", which MGM wanted to film. Hitchcock was not keen on the novel, feeling that all its best scenes were at the beginning and that it would be difficult to avoid anti-climax as the story progressed. Lehman agreed and said that it would be impossible for ... See more »