Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many accolades, including the most nominations (16) for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He has won four Academy Awards, ten BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for a Emmy Award and a Tony Award. Allen was awarded an Honorary Golden Lion in 1995, the BAFTA Fellowship in 1997, an Honorary Palme d'Or in 2002, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2014. Two of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Allen began his career writing material for television in the 1950s, alongside Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Larry Gelbart, and Neil Simon. He also published several books of short stories and wrote humor pieces for The New Yorker. In the early 1960s, he performed as a stand-up comedian in Greenwich Village, where he developed a monologue style (rather than traditional jokes) and the persona of an insecure, intellectual, fretful nebbish. During this time, he released three comedy albums, earning a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album nomination for the self-titled Woody Allen (1964).
Allen was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg at Mount Eden Hospital in Bronx, New York City, on November 30, 1935, to Nettie (née Cherry; 1906–2002), a bookkeeper at her family's delicatessen, and Martin Konigsberg (1900–2001), a jewelry engraver and waiter. His grandparents were Jewish immigrants to the U.S. from Austria and Panevėžys, Lithuania. They spoke German, Hebrew, and Yiddish. He and his younger sister, film producer Letty Aronson, were raised in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood. Both their parents were born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Allen's parents did not get along, and he had an estranged relationship with his mother. He spoke German in his early years. While attending Hebrew school for eight years, he also attended Public School 99, now the Isaac Asimov School for Science and Literature, and then Midwood High School, from which he graduated in 1953. Unlike his comic persona, he was more interested in baseball than school and was picked first for teams. He impressed students with his talent for cards and magic tricks.
At age 17, he legally changed his name to Heywood Allen and later began to call himself Woody. According to Allen, his first published joke read: "Woody Allen says he ate at a restaurant that had O.P.S. prices—over people's salaries." He was soon earning more than both of his parents combined. After high school, he attended New York University, studying communication and film in 1953, before dropping out after failing the course "Motion Picture Production". He briefly attended City College of New York in 1954, dropping out during his first semester. He taught himself rather than studying in the classroom. He later taught at The New School and studied with writing teacher Lajos Egri.
"In the United States things have changed a lot, and it's hard to make good small films now", Allen said in a 2004 interview. "The avaricious studios couldn't care less about good films—if they get a good film they're twice as happy but money-making films are their goal. They only want these $100 million pictures that make $500 million." Allen traveled to London, where he made Match Point (2005), one of his most successful films of the decade, garnering positive reviews. Set in London, it starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson. It is markedly darker than Allen's first four films with DreamWorks SKG. In Match Point Allen shifts focus from the intellectual upper class of New York to the moneyed upper class of London. The film earned more than $23 million domestically (more than any of his films in nearly 20 years) and over $62 million in international box office sales. It earned Allen his first Academy Award nomination since 1998, for Best Writing – Original Screenplay, with directing and writing nominations at the Golden Globes, his first Globe nominations since 1987. In a 2006 interview with Premiere Magazine he said it was the best film he had ever made.
In June 2020, Allen appeared on Alec Baldwin's podcast Here's the Thing and talked about his career as a standup comedian, comedy writer, and filmmaker, and his life during the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2022, Allen suggested that he might retire from filmmaking after the release of his next film. In an interview with La Vanguardia, Allen said, "My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing." Allen's publicist later said, "Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel. He said he was thinking about not making films, as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience. Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th."
Allen has made 50 feature films to date, with his latest film, Coup de chance (2023), a domestic thriller set in Paris. The film is Allen's first French-language film. It premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival to positive reviews. Chris Vognar of Rolling Stone called it "a pretty slight and minor film, but for an 87-year-old American working in a second language, it can't help but seem impressive". Owen Gleiberman of Variety called it "his best since Blue Jasmine".
In February 2024, it was reported that Allen had expressed interest in starting a new film as soon as summer 2024: "In a new interview with Spanish filmmaker David Trueba, the 88-year-old Allen confirms that he is currently trying to launch a new film, which could start shooting as early as this summer in Italy."
Personal life
Allen has been married three times: to Harlene Rosen from 1956 to 1959, Louise Lasser from 1966 to 1970, and Soon-Yi Previn since 1997. He also had a 12-year relationship with actress Mia Farrow and relationships with Stacey Nelkin and Diane Keaton.
Early marriages and relationships
In 1956, Allen married Harlene Rosen. He was 20 and she was 17. The marriage lasted until 1959. Rosen, whom Allen called "the Dread Mrs. Allen" in his standup act, sued him for defamation as a result of comments he made during a television appearance shortly after their divorce. In his mid-1960s album Standup Comic, Allen said that Rosen had sued him because of a joke he made in an interview. Rosen had been sexually assaulted outside her apartment. According to Allen, the newspapers reported that she had been "violated". In the interview, Allen said, "Knowing my ex-wife, it probably wasn't a moving violation." In an interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Allen repeated his comments and said that she "sued me for a million dollars".
In 1966, Allen married Louise Lasser. They divorced in 1970. Lasser provided voice dubbing in Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? and appeared in three of his other films: Take the Money and Run, Bananas, and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask). She also appeared briefly in Stardust Memories.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Manhattan was based on Allen's romantic relationship with actress Stacey Nelkin. Her bit part in Annie Hall ended up on the cutting room floor, and their relationship, never publicly acknowledged by Allen, reportedly began when she was 17 and a student at Stuyvesant High School in New York. In December 2018 The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Babi Christina Engelhardt, who said she had an eight-year affair with Allen that began in 1976 when she was 17 years old (they met when she was 16), and that she believes the character of Tracy in Manhattan is a composite of any number of Allen's presumed other real-life young paramours from that period, not necessarily Nelkin or Engelhardt. When asked, Allen declined to comment.
Mia Farrow
Allen and Mia Farrow met in 1979 and began a relationship in 1980; Farrow starred in 13 of Allen's films from 1982 to 1992. Throughout the relationship they lived in separate apartments on opposite sides of Central Park in Manhattan. Farrow had seven children when they met: three biological sons from her marriage to composer André Previn, three adopted girls (two Vietnamese and one South Korean, Soon-Yi Previn), and an adopted South Korean boy, Moses Farrow.
In 1984, she and Allen tried to conceive a child together; Allen agreed to this on the understanding that he need not be involved in the child's care. When the effort failed, Farrow adopted a baby girl, Dylan Farrow, in July 1985. Allen was not involved in the adoption, but when Dylan arrived he assumed a parental role toward her and began spending more time in Farrow's home. On December 19, 1987, Farrow gave birth to their son Satchel Ronan O'Sullivan Farrow. According to Allen, his intimate relationship with Mia Farrow ceased completely after Satchel's birth and he was asked to return her apartment key; they maintained a working relationship when they filmed a movie, and he regularly visited Moses, Dylan and Satchel, but he and Mia were only "social companions on those occasions where there'd be a dinner, an event, but after the event she'd go home and I'd go home." In 1991, Farrow wanted to adopt another child. According to a 1993 custody hearing, Allen told her he would not object to another adoption so long as she would agree to his adoption of Dylan and Moses; that adoption was finalized in December 1991. Eric Lax, Allen's biographer, wrote in The New York Times that Allen was "there before they [the children] wake up in the morning, he sees them during the day and he helps put them to bed at night".
If you want to read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Allen
- SERVES
- 4
- COOK TIME
- 10 Min
Our recipe for Sesame Chicken with Honey Sauce is adult and kid friendly! That's right, no matter your age, you're going to love this fast and easy way to put dinner on the table. With a few cooking hacks from the Test Kitchen, you'll be whipping up a sweet, sticky, succulent main dish in no time at all.
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into finger-sized strips
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Cooking spray
- HONEY SAUCE
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- Preheat oven to 375º. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg, cornstarch, and soy sauce; add chicken strips, coating well. Let stand 5 minutes.
- In a large resealable plastic bag, combine sesame seeds, bread crumbs, garlic powder, and salt. Add chicken, seal bag, and shake to coat. Place chicken on baking sheet; lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and no longer pink in center.
- In a small bowl, stir together mustard, honey, and hot sauce. Serve with chicken strips.
Patriot Day on September 11th honors the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims who died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Each year Americans dedicate this day to remembering those who died and the first responders who risked their own lives to save others.
We Remember
For many, September 11, 2001, began like any other weekday. We made our way to work. Children attended school. We shopped, had coffee, waited in line at a drive-thru. Those of us who weren’t in New York City heard the first reports on the radio or television. A friend or neighbor alerted us to a plane flying into one of the Twin Towers. We felt disbelief. An accident, perhaps, a miscalculation. Then, a second plane flew into the second tower. Our disbelief turned into uncertainty and concern.
Those on the ground faced terror and obstacles they had never known. But, then, as a set of coordinated suicide attacks organized by the militant group Al Qaeda targeted the World Trade Center, the rest of the nation witnessed the unbelievable. And then a third plane crashed into The Pentagon. And yet another crashed into a field in Shanksville, PA.
Memorial
Every year since that fateful day, the United States comes together to remember the fallen. We remember the first responders and those who made difficult decisions. Since that day, memorials have risen from the ashes.
HOW TO OBSERVE
- Attend Patriot Day ceremonies.
- Observe moments of silence:
- 8:46 AM EDT – American Airlines Flight #11 collides into the World Trade Center
- 9:03 AM EDT – United Airlines Flight #175 collides into the World Trade Center South Tower
- 9:37 AM EDT – American Airlines Flight #77 crashes into the Pentagon
- 9:59 AM EDT – World Trade Center South Tower Collapses
- 10:03 AM EDT – United Airlines Flight #93 crashes in Shanksville, PA
- 10:28 AM EDT – World Trade Center North Tower Collapses
- Volunteer – While remembering the day, help an organization with meaning to you. Improve the lives of others and the world around you. Spread kindness. Offer them hope. Share your skills with those who need them most.
- Remember – Remember those killed in the attacks. Remember to stand united as a Nation. Join others in prayer vigils or memorial events.
PATRIOT DAY HISTORY
- September 13, 2001 – In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush proclaimed Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001.
- August 31, 2002 – President George W. Bush proclaimed Friday, September 6, through Sunday, September 8, 2002, as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.
- September 4, 2002 – President Bush proclaimed September 11, 2002, as the first Patriot Day.
- September 9, 2016 – President Barack Obama proclaimed September 11th as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance,
In 2017 and 2018, President Donald Trump declared September 8–10 as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance and proclaimed September 11 as Patriot Day. “During the National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we pause to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent people who were murdered by radical Islamist terrorists in the brutal attacks of September 11, 2001. We come together to pray for those whose lives were forever changed by the loss of a loved one. We strengthen our resolve to stand together as one Nation.”
9/11 FAQ
Q. Where can I learn more about the 9/11 Memorial.
A. The website 911memorial.org provides substantial information for those wanting to learn more or visit the memorial.
Q. Are there memorials at the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA?
A. Yes, both locations include memorials to the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks. You can learn more about the memorials by visiting PentagonMemorial.org and the National Park Service websites.
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