Martin Ritt

@Film Director, Timeline and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Martin Ritt was an American director, producer and actor associated with both theater and films New York American Film & Theater Personalities Directors Theater Personalities Pisces Celebrities Martin Ritt was an American director, producer and actor associated with both theatres and films. He is however most noted for his films that were themed on social consciousness and narrated the life of the oppressed and downtrodden. The protagonists of his films were characteristically dark-horses or loners whose ethical values often put them into precarious situations considering the society’s dubious values. Ritt started his career as a stage actor with ‘Federal Theatre Project’ and then with ‘Theatre of Action’. He also worked with Lee Strasberg's famous ‘Group Theatre’. The 1940s saw him getting success in directing plays such as ‘Set My People Free’ and ‘The Big People’. He then changed gears and entered TV in the late 1940s and for the next few years acted in around 150 teleplays apart from directing over 100 shows. While the Great Depression was in full swing Ritt like many other theatre personalities became highly motivated by the leftist ideals and principles. Although never a member of the ‘Communist Party’, his leftist perspective made him a target of Senator Joseph McCarthy, which resulted in his ouster from the ‘CBS’. Thereafter he resumed his association with the ‘Group Theater’ and also endeavoured into directing feature films. Starting with ‘Edge of The City’, he made some remarkable films over the next three decades cementing his position as one of the prominent filmmakers of those times. Some of his highly successful and widely acclaimed films were ‘Norma Rae’, ‘The Long, Hot Summer’, ‘Sounder’, ‘Hud’, ‘Hombre’, ‘The Great White Hope’, ‘Murphy's Romance’, ‘The Molly Maguires’ and ‘Stanley & Iris’.

Personal Details

Birthday: March 2, 1914 Died on: December 8, 1990 Nationality: American Famous: Film Director, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Theater Personalities City/State: New Yorkers Spouses: Adele Ritt (?-1990) Childrens: Martina Ritt Werner, Michael Ritt Information Detail Birthday March 2, 1914 Died on December 8, 1990 Nationality American Famous Film Director, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Theater Personalities City/State New Yorkers Spouses Adele Ritt (?-1990) Childrens Martina Ritt Werner, Michael Ritt Birth Place New York City, New York, U.S. Gender Male Sun Sign Pisces Born in New York City, New York, U.S. Famous as Film Director Died at Age 76

New York City, New York, U.S.

Martin Ritt born at Unsplash Birth Place

Martin Ritt was married to Adele. Unsplash Personal Life

On December 8, 1990, he passed away in Santa Monica, California after suffering from a heart problem leaving his wife Adele, daughter Martina and son Michael behind. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born on March 2, 1914, in Manhattan, New York City, USA, in the family of Jewish immigrants. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He completed his graduation from the ‘DeWitt Clinton High School’ in the Bronx. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Ritt attended the ‘Elon College’ in North Carolina where he studied literature and played football and boxing. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After attending the law school at ‘St. John’s University’ for a short while, he joined theatre. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His on-stage debut happened in 1935 with the ‘Federal Theatre Project’ productions, a project sponsored by the ‘Works Progress Administration’ (‘WPA’) in the US during the Great Depression. At the same time he also worked with the ‘Theatre of Action’. Unsplash Career

As the Great Depression took its toll, it became harder to find work and several ‘WPA’ theatre personalities including Ritt got drawn towards the radical left and Communism. Though he later stated that he was never a ‘Communist Party’ member, he agreed that he was a leftist in principles and values that matched with some of the Marxist ones. Unsplash Career

Recommended by Greek-American director, producer, writer and actor Elia Kazan, Ritt joined Lee Strasberg's famous ‘Group Theatre’ in 1937 and for the next five years performed in several plays of the group including ‘Golden Boy’ (1937) and ‘The Gentle People’ (1939). His tenure with the group had a profound influence in shaping up his social consciousness and political viewpoints, reflections of which were palpable in many of his films. Unsplash Career

He served the ‘U.S. Army Air Forces’ at the time of the ‘Second World War’ and performed in the ‘Broadway’ play of the Air Forces titled ‘Winged Victory’ in 1943. The play that was produced as a morale booster and also to raise funds for the ‘Army Emergency Relief Fund’ was a huge success and led to its film version in 1944. Ritt performed in the film version too that was produced by ‘Twentieth Century Fox’. Unsplash Career

While ‘Winged Victory’ was running successfully at ‘Broadway’, Ritt simultaneously directed Sidney Kingsley's play ‘Yellow Jack’ where many of the ‘Winged Victory’ actors performed. When ‘Winged Victory’ group moved to Los Angeles for its film version, ‘Yellow Jack’ had a run there too. Unsplash Career

Information	Detail
Birthday	March 2, 1914
Died on	December 8, 1990
Nationality	American
Famous	Film Director, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Theater Personalities
City/State	New Yorkers
Spouses	Adele Ritt (?-1990)
Childrens	Martina Ritt Werner, Michael Ritt
Birth Place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Pisces
Born in	New York City, New York, U.S.
Famous as	Film Director
Died at Age	76

Martin Ritt

American

Mar 2, 1914

Biography

Personal Details

New York City, New York, U.S.