The actor-turned-director who helmed many Neil Simon's plays like 'Barefoot in the Park' and 'Odd Couple', passed away on Saturday, March 28 at the age of 93.
- March 30, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Gene Saks, the Tony-winning director who helmed many Neil Simon's plays on Broadway, passed away on Saturday, March 28 at his home in East Hampton, New York at the age of 93. His wife Keren told New York Times that the cause of death was pneumonia.
Gene, who was born November 8, 1921 in New York City, trained for acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School while attending college at Cornell University. He made his acting debut in Broadway's "South Pacific" in 1949 and his TV debut in 1951 on "Out There".
He turned into director in 1960s and shared a long-term professional relationship with Neil. He directed Neil's Broadway plays which included "Biloxi Blues", "Brighton Beach Memoirs", "Jake's Women", "Rumors", "Lost in Yonkers", "Broadway Bound", "The Odd Couple" and "California Suite".
Gene then directed seven feature films based on Neil's Broadway plays including "The Odd Couple", "Barefoot in the Park", "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs". He won three Tony Awards for Cy Coleman-Michael Stewart's musical "I Love My Wife" and Neil's plays "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues".
Gene is survived by his wife Keren and their daughter Annabelle, his two children Matthew and Daniel from his marriage to Bea Arthur, and three grandchildren.
