Jerome Robbins Biography

QUICK FACTS
Activities Director, Screenwriter
Nationality USA
Birth October 11, 1918 (New York)
Death July 29, 1998

BIOGRAPHY
Jerome Robbins was an American choreographer, director, dancer, and theater producer who worked in classical ballet, on Broadway, and in films and television. In 1940, he joined Ballet Theater (later known as American Ballet Theatre), and from 1941 to 1944, he was the company’s soloist. He appeared in numerous theater productions with success, winning five Tony Awards: in 1947 for High Button Shoes, in 1957 for West Side Story and in 1964 for Fiddler on the Roof for best choreography and for the latter he also won for Best Direction, category for which he won the statuette again in 1989 for the musical Jerome Robbins’ Broadway . In 1961, Robbins directed, alongside Robert Wise, the film version of West Side Story, Love Without Barriers . He was fired from the production as soon as principal photography was completed, but still won the Academy Award for Best Director and one for “Brilliant Achievements in the Art of Choreography in the Motion Picture.”