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The Birth of Author Miller
Author Miller was born in Harlem, New York, on October 17, 1915. He had an immigrant family of Polish and Jewish descent. His father was Isidore and his mother was Augusta. He has two siblings, Kermit Miller and Joan Miller. -
Moving Away
By 1929, the family had moved to Gravesend, Brooklyn after his father’s garment manufacturing business began to fail and the family faced financial hardships in the Wall Street crash of 1929 -
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression had an impact on Miller during this time period and showed him the insecurities of modern society that prevented him from achieving his goals of becoming a successful salesman and having a happier and more wealthy family. -
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After High School
After Arthur Miller graduated Abraham Lincoln High School began working a few jobs to save money for college at the University of Michigan
- radio singer
- truck driver
- clerk in an automobile-parts warehouse He attended New York City College night classes for a few weeks but he dropped out since he was unable to keep up with work -
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University of Michigan
In 1934, Miller attended the University of Michigan. Before he had been denied by admission twice due to his poor grades in high school. While in college, he worked as a reporter and night editor for the university newspaper, "the Michigan Daily, and wrote plays despite having little experience in the theater.- Studied Henrik Ibsen and later wrote his own version of An Enemy of the People. (inspired him to become a playwriter)
- Took courses with playwright and professor Kenneth Rowe.
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No Villain
When Miller was a sophomore at the University of Michigan, he wrote the play, "No Villain," in which won him his first Hopwood Award. He used the prize money ($250) to pay his tuition. Miller wrote a rewrite version of No Villain called "They Too Arise." It won him a $1,250 scholarship from the Theater Guild Bureau.
- The play is about a strike in the garment industry that sets a son against his father, the factory owner. -
Honors at Dawn
Arthur Miller's second play during college was "Honors at Dawn" in which won him a second Avery Hopwood Award.
- The play takes place in a factory where the workers have gone on strike to get a pay rise as well as recognition of their trade union. -
Federal Theater Project
Miller began working for the Federal Theater Project (FTP) as a scriptwriter and radio play writer after receiving his degree. Despite receiving a more profitable job offer from Twentieth Century-Fox in Hollywood, he remained with the program until its finish. -
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Arthur Miller's First Marriage
Mary Grace Slattery and Arthur Miller were married for fifteen years. They began dating in 1938 and got married on August 5, 1940. On June 11th, 1956, they got divorced. -
The Man Who Had All the Luck
His first Broadway Debut, "The Man Who Had All the Luck," was produced in 1944. It closed after just four performances with many horrible reviews.
-a man who effortlessly overcomes every challenge to his achievement in both his personal and professional life. -
First Child
Arthur Miller and Mary Grace Slattery had their first born child named Jane Ellen Miller. She was born on September 7, 1944 and is currently 79 years old. -
All My Sons
His next Broadway play, "All My Sons" was based on a true story about a man who sold damage machine parts to the U.S. military during World War II. One of the top ten plays of 1947, the play became a huge hit and won Miller two Tony Awards as well as the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. -
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Second Child
Arthur Miller and Mary Grace Slattery had their second born child named Robert A. Miller. He was born on May 31st, 1947 and died on March 6, 2022 -
Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" is about a tragic story of Willy Loman, a guy destroyed by the false expectations that effected his culture. The play won the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Tony Award. -
The Crucible
Arthur Miller's next Broadway play, "The Crucible" is based on the 1692 Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. It tells a story of a village that becomes caught up in a witch hunt.
- Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play. -
A Memory of Two Mondays
Arthur Miller's one act play, "A Memory of Two Mondays" is based on Miller's own experiences. The play focuses on a group of poor workers making a living in a Brooklyn auto parts warehouse during the 1930s Great Depression, when unemployment in the US was 25%. -
A View from the Bridge
Arthur Millers play, "A View from the Bridge" is based on the same story as Elia Kazan's Oscar-winning film On the Waterfront. The play focuses on a working-class longshoreman named Eddie and is navigating his conflicted emotions toward his niece Catherine. -
HUAC
Miller was called before the House Committee on Un-American, and convicted of contempt of Congress for not cooperating. In response, Miller is asked about his involvement in communist activities and is asked for the names of other communists. Miller declines. Miller was fined 500, sentenced to 30 days in prison. However, after a lengthy appeals trial, a judge overturns Miller's contempt conviction. -
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Second Marriage
After Miller divorced his Mary Slattery, less than a month later, Miller married Marilyn Monroe, whom he'd first met in 1951 at a Hollywood party. The marriage lasted five years but divorced on January 20, 1961. -
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Third Marriage
Arthur Miller and Igne Morath got married on February 17, 1962 and moved to the United States. They were together for 40 years until Inge's death at the age of 78 after suffering from Lymphoma. (a type of cancer) -
Third Child
Arthur Miller and Inge Morath had their first born child named Rebecca Miller. She was born on September 15, 1962. She is currently 61 years old. -
Fourth Child
Arthur Miller and Igne Morath had their second born child named Daniel Miller. He was born in November 1966 with Down Syndrome. They made the decision to check him into an institution. -
The Price
Arthur Miller's play, "The Price" is about two brothers dealing with the death of their father. It shows the struggle to make peace with the past and create hope for the future. This play was Miller's last major Broadway success. -
Autobiography
Miller published his autobiography "Timebends: A Life."
- Collaborated on the 1996 screenplay adaption of The Crucible -
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan
Arthur Miller's play, "The Ride Down Mt. Morgan" is about a wealthy businessman that has two separate lives with two wives, but an unexpected car accident unites them both.
- Received the Olivier Award for Best Play of the London Season, -
Broken Glass
Arthur Miller's play, "Broken Glass" features Nazi crimes against the Jewish community as well as a woman who has been electrocuted and become paralyzed.
- Winner of the 1955 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play. -
Finishing the Picture
"Finishing the Picture" is Arthur Miller's final play. It is based on the filming "The Misfits" and focuses on a distinguished director who is about to lose his picture due to the unstable behavior of a famously fragile movie star.
- Premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2004. -
The Death of Arthur Miller
At the age of 89, Arthur Miller passes away at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut after suffering from congestive heart failure. -
Sources II
https://study.com/learn/lesson/the-crucible-arthur-miller-summary-analysis-characters.html#:~:text=The%20Crucible%20by%20Arthur%20Miller%20is%20a%20fictional%20play%20based,people%20are%20accused%20of%20witchcraft. https://www.neh.gov/about/awards/jefferson-lecture/arthur-miller-biography#:~:text=After%20graduating%20from%20high%20school,after%20he%20received%20his%20degree. -
Sources
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a41449890/marilyn-monroe-arthur-miller/ https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/biography/arthur-miller/timeline#:~:text=Arthur%20Miller%20graduates%20from%20Brooklyn's,with%20both%20school%20and%20work. https://dosenglishproject.weebly.com/biographical-timeline.html https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/arthur-miller-and-mary-grace-slattery#ff-children https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/arthur-miller