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Arthur Miller Birth
Arthur Miller was born on October 17th, 1915 in New York U.S., where his father owned a successful manufacturing business and his mother was an educator and an avid reader for novels.They were of Jewish descent.Although Arthur Millers father was shaped by the Great Depression at the time which brought financial ruin and it affected young Miller in the insecurity of modern existence.
-Arthur Miller also has a little sister, Joan Copeland, she is a American Actress. -
Arthur Millers Influence
Since Arthur Miller himself was influenced by the Great Depression and the war, his dramas allowed people to have an honest view on the direction the country has taken. His plays talked about political and social issues.
- He wrote a total of 25 plays.
- The genre of his plays were social plays. -
Moving
The Great Depression also caused Arthur Miller father to want to move since they lost everything in the Wall Street Crash. So they moved to Manhattan and then to Flatbush, Brooklyn. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was the worst economic crisis and it affected peoples jobs, it also decreased industrial production and rapid expansion of the US stock market. The Great Depression brought financial ruin to Arthur Millers father and shaped Arthur Millers view on modern existence. The Great Depression also caused them to move. -
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After Highschool
After Arthur Miller graduated Highschool he worked a few jobs to save up money to go to University of Michigan. The jobs he did were odd jobs. He worked as a carpenter, delivery boy, a clerk for auto parts, radio singer and a truck driver. He also attended a radio program for New York University but ended up dropping out because of the work load. -
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University of Michigan
With the money that Arthur Miller saved up he ended up attending University of Michigan. Before he got in the school denied his admission twice for poor grades in high school. While attending he worked as a night editor for the schools newspaper and during this time he was inspired by Henrik Ibsen. He wrote for the student paper and completed his first play called "No Villain", for which he won the school's Avery Hopwood Award. -
"No Villain"
Arthur Miller wrote "No Villain" during his spring break while he was a sophomore. He wrote it for a $250 prize, the University of Michigan’s playwright award, so that he could fund his education. This play helped him win.
- This play is about Marxist theory and inner conflict through an individual facing ruin as a result of a strike. Later on Arthur Miller wrote a rewrite version of No Villain called "They Too Arise." It won him a $1,250 scholarship from the Theater Guild Bureau. -
"Honors at Dawn"
"Honors at Dawn" was the second play Arthur Miller wrote after "No Villain". He won a second Avery Hopwood Award.
- This play is about a factory where the workers have gone on strike to get a pay rise as well as recognition of their trade union. -
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Arthur Miller First Wife
While in college Arthur Miller met Mary Grace Slattery. They were married for 15 years. They began dating in 1938 and got married on August 5, 1940. They had two children together, Jane Ellen and Robert.
- Jane Ellen was born September 7, 1944 and is currently 79 years old.
- Robert was born on May 31st, 1947 and died on March 6, 2022. -
The Man Who Had All the Luck
Arthur Miller first Broadway Debut, "The Man Who Had All the Luck," was produced in 1944. It closed after just four performances with many horrible reviews.
- The play was about a man who effortlessly overcomes every challenge to his achievement in both his personal and professional life.
- The play originated as an unpublished novel manuscript, completed in 1943; Miller adapted it for the theater the following year and it became his first play to be staged on Broadway. -
"All My Sons"
"All My Sons" was Arthur Millers next Broadway play it was a three-act play written in 1946. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947. It closed on November 8, 1947, and ran for 328 performances.
- This play was based on a true story about a man who sold damage machine parts to the U.S. military during World War II. 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. -
"Death of a Salesman"
"Death of a Salesman" is a play in two acts. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage of memories, dreams, and arguments of the protagonist Willy Loman.
- This play is about tragic story of Willy Loman, a guy destroyed by the false expectations that affected 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. The play was first performed at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway on January 22, 1953.
- This play won the 953 Tony Award for Best Play. -
"A Memory of Two Mondays"
"A Memory of Two Mondays" is a one-act play. The play is based on Miller's own experiences.
- The play is about 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"
"A View from the Bridge" was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with "A Memory of Two Mondays" at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The play is based on the same story as Elia Kazan's Oscar-winning film On the Waterfront.
- The play is about a working-class longshoreman named Eddie and is navigating his conflicted emotions toward his niece Catherine. -
HUAC
HUAC stands for House Un-American Activities Committee. The HUAC a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, investigated allegations of communist activity in the U.S. during the early years of the Cold War.
- Arthur Miller was called by HUAC and convicted of contempt of Congress for not cooperating. In response,he is asked about his involvement in communist activities. He was fined 500, sentenced to 30 days in prison. After a while a judge overturns his contempt conviction and he's free -
Arthur Miller Second Marriage
After Arthur Miller divorced Mary Slattery, less than a month later, he married Marilyn Monroe who was an actress and she was known as Hollywood sex symbol. He first met in 1951 at a Hollywood party. They got married Jun 29, 1956 to Jan 20, 1961.
- The marriage lasted five years.
-Author Norman Mailer called their marriage the union of "the Great American Brain" and "the Great American Body." -
Arthur Miller Third Marriage
After a while Arthur Miller ended up getting married to Inge Morath and moved to the United States.They met in 1960 on a film set that Arthur Miller had written and Inge Morath was one of the photographers hired to document its filming. They were together for 40 years.Inge died at the age of 78 from Lymphoma.
- They had their first born, named Rebecca Miller. She was born on September 15, 1962.
- They had their second child named Daniel Miller. He was born in November 1966 with Down Syndrome. -
"The Price"
"The Price" is a two-act play written in 1967 but then published in 1968.This play was Miller's last major Broadway success.The play won several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, seven Tony Awards, and two Drama Critics Circle Awards.
- This play 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. -
"The Ride Down Mt. Morgan"
"The Ride Down Mt. Morgan" received the Olivier Award for Best Play of the London Season.
- The play is about a wealthy businessman that has two separate lives with two wives, but an unexpected car accident unites them both. -
"Broken Glass"
"Broken Glass" won the 1955 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play.
- The play is about Nazi crimes against the Jewish community as well as a woman who has been electrocuted and become paralyzed. -
"Finishing the Picture"
"Finishing the Picture" is the last play Arthur Miller wrote.The play premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2004.
- This play 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. -
Arthur Miller's Death
Arthur Miller died on February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of Death of a Salesman Broadway debut.
- He passed away at the age of 89 at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut after suffering from congestive heart failure. -
Fun Fact
In March 2018, HBO aired the documentary Arthur Miller: Writer. Directed and narrated by his daughter Rebecca.
- It's about the life of the great American playwright, from the creation of his iconic plays, to his marriage to Monroe to his relationships with family members. -
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Miller-American-playwright
https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/arthur-miller
https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/huac
https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/arthur-miller-writer-trailer-hbo-documentary-rebecca-miller-1201937333/
https://www.thoughtco.com/arthur-miller-2713623