Woody Allen

       Woody Allen was born on Dec 1, 1935, in Brooklyn, NY. He is a famous writer, actor, director, and jazz clarinetist. He was born by the name Allen Stewart Konigsberg and he took the legal name, Heywood Allen. A large part of Allen's comic material came from his urban Jewish middle-class background. Allen set out to be a playwright, he started writing monologues for stand-up comedy while still in high school. His debut to show business came a few years later when he was hired as a writer for such television comedians as Sid Caesar and Art Carney. In the early 60s, after multiple false starts, he created a following at the nightclub circuit, performing his own monologues and stand-up routines. His comic personality was that of an insecure and anxiety-ridden person who playfully exaggerates his own failures (Allen 1). He was the butt of his own jokes. He became popular among college campuses and he was occasionally a guest on different television programs.
      Allen's screenwriting career began when he wrote What's New, Pussycat?(1965) in which he played a part in the cast. He continued on in his works and became a famous director-actor from his acting in several comedies, Take the Money and Run (1969), Bananas (1971), Sleeper (1973), and Love and Death (1975) where he usually portrays a "bumbling, anxiety-ridden Everyman" (Allen 1). In the late 70's, the themes of Allen's works had begun to strike a more serious tone. He decided to write on topics such as dealing with the heart and emotions. Most of them were comedies that had a more serious tone to it. They were usually set in New York City and would star Allen with Mia Farrow or Diane Keaton. Allen's Annie Hall (1977) won best picture at the Academy Awards and Allen also won for best director. Allen also shared the award that year for best original screenplay.
      Allen's first play, Don't Drink the Water, opened in 1966 on Broadway. Allen had his first stage acting performance in Play it again Sam, which opened in 1969. He is also the author of Getting Even (1971), Without Feathers (1975), Side Effects (1980), which are stories written by him, and many magazine articles. He has written short stories as well throughout his career. Allen's long time professional and personal relationship with Mia Farrow came to an end due to his affair with Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, in 1992. Allen lost custody to his three children (Allen 1). He is currently married to Soon-Yi Previn and they are expecting a child.
      Allen continues to work on projects such as Antz and other films. He has been working on a project recently and he has a film to come out in 2001. His career as a director and actor is far from over and he will continue to be successful for as long as he lives.