Elia Kazan biography

Profile

Elia Kazan directed his first play in 1934, then went on to plays by Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Thornton Wilder. In 1947 he cofounded the Actors Studio. Kazan began directing movies in 1944, winning Oscars for Gentlemen's Agreement and On the Waterfront. In his 1988 autobiography he defended his decision to comply with the House Committee on Un-American Activities in the 1950s.