Arthur Penn

Lore & Background

Arthur Penn was born in 1922 to a Russian Jewish family in Philadelphia, the son of Sonia (Greenberg), a nurse, and Harry (Tzvi) William Penn, a watchmaker, both natives of then Novoaleksandrovsk, Russia, now Zarasai, Lithuania. He was the younger brother of Irving Penn, the fashion, portrait and still life photographer. During his early years, he moved in with his mother after she divorced his father, later returning to his sickly father and running his watch repair shop. At 19, he was drafted into the United States Army during World War II (1943–1946), serving as an infantryman in the Battle of the Bulge.

While stationed in Britain, he became interested in theater, directing and taking part in shows for soldiers. After the war, he attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where he directed a production of Erik Satie's Le piège de Méduse with R. Buckminster Fuller, Elaine de Kooning, and Merce Cunningham performing, and he was a featured commentator in the documentary Fully Awake about the college. After making a name as a director of quality television dramas, Penn made his feature debut with The Left Handed Gun (1958). The production was completed in only 23 days, but Warner Brothers reedited the film against his wishes with a new ending he disapproved of.

Career

His second film, The Miracle Worker (1962), garnered two Academy Awards for its leads Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. He began working on The Train in France in June and August 1963 when star Burt Lancaster had Penn fired after three days of filming. In 1965 he directed Mickey One, heavily influenced by the French New Wave. He reunited with Warren Beatty for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), which became a worldwide phenomenon; Beatty had given him 10% of the potential profits, and the success earned Penn over $2 million.

He followed with Alice's Restaurant (1969) and Little Big Man (1970). Later notable films included Night Moves (1975) and The Missouri Breaks (1976). In the 1990s, he returned to stage and television, including as an executive producer for Law & Order. At the 57th Berlin International Film Festival in 2007, Penn received the Honorary Golden Bear.