Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, author, playwright and musician whose career spans over fifty years. He has won the Academy Award three times, and many others in his very long career. His many works and his cerebral movie style, mixing satire and humor, have made him one of the most respected movie directors in the modern era. Allen writes and directs his movies and has also acted in most of them. To inspire himself for his movies, Allen uses literature, philosophy, psychology, Judaism, European cinema, and New York City, where he was born and has lived all life.

Early life
Allen was born at Mount of Eden Hospital in The Bronx, He was raised in Brooklyn, New York City. His parents were Nettie (born Cherrie; November 8, 1906 – January 27, 2002), a bookkeeper at her family's delicatessen, and Martin Konigsberg (December 25, 1900 – January 13, 2001), a jewelry engraver and waiter. His family was Ashkenazi Jewish; his grandparents immigrated from Russia and Austria, and spoke Yiddish, Hebrew, and German. Both parents were born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Allen has a sister, Letty, who was born in 1943, and was raised in Midwood, Brooklyn.

Career
Allen started writing scripts for The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show and other television shows when he was 19. He started working as a comedian in 1961. His first movie, What's New Pussycat?, was released in 1965. In 1966 he wrote his first play, the Broadway play Don't Drink the Water. In 1986 Allen's movie Hannah and Her Sisters made $18 million.

Personal life
Allen is Jewish.

Allen has had three wives. He dated Mia Farrow for 12 years. However, they never married and lived in different houses. Allen and Farrow adopted Dylan and Mosche Farrow together. Mia said in 1994 that Allen molested her 7-year-old daughter, Dylan Farrow. In February 2014 an open letter by Dylan was published by the New York Times. In the letter, Dylan said that Allen had molested her. Her brother Mosche, who is now known as Moses Farrow, said that Allen did not molest her. Allen said the allegations were "untrue and disgraceful". On February 7, 2014, Allen wrote a response to Dylan in the New York Times.

In 1992 Farrow realized that Allen was cheating on her with her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. She found naked pictures of Soon-yi in Allen's house. Farrow and Allen broke up. In 1997 Allen married Previn. Previn and Allen have two adopted daughters.

Allen is an atheist.

Filmography

Movies

Notes

References

Other websites
 
 
 
 IMP Poster Gallery
 Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
 Woody Allen Movies
 La De Da: Annie Hall as Divine Tragicomedy  Essay Extended version of essay 
 Woody Allen in Barcelona. The shooting of a film.

1935 births
Living people
 
Academy Award winning directors
Academy Award winning writers
Actors from Brooklyn
Actors from the Bronx
American atheists
American movie actors
American stand-up comedians
American television actors
American television directors
American television writers
BAFTA Award winning directors
Comedians from New York City
Golden Globe Award winning writers
Jewish American actors
Jewish American writers
Jewish atheists
Movie directors from New York City
Screenwriters from New York City
Television personalities from New York City
Writers from Brooklyn
Writers from the Bronx
O. Henry Award winners