caption death_date death_place years_active birth_place children relatives name pronunciation birth_date spouse image article_title birth_name occupation death_cause
elia kazan , c. 1960 28 september 2003 manhattan , new york city , united states 1934 -- 1976 constantinople turkey -rrb- , ottoman empire -lrb- modern day istanbul , 5 including nicholas kazan -lrb- son -rrb- zoe -rrb- kazan -lrb- granddaughter -rrb- maya kazan -lrb- granddaughter elia kazan eˈlia kaˈzan lang 07 september 1909 molly her death -rrb- barbara loden -lrb- m. 1967 -- 1980 day ; her death -rrb- frances rudge -lrb- m. 1982 -- thacher 2003 ; his death -rrb- -lrb- m. 1932 -- 1963 ; kazan-interviews . jpg elia kazan
 elias kazantzoglou director , actor , producer , screenwriter and novelist natural causes
elia kazan

elia kazan -lrb- born elias kazantzoglou , september 7 , 1909 -- september 28 , 2003 -rrb- was an american director , producer , writer and actor , described by `` the new york times '' as `` one of the most honored and influential directors in broadway and hollywood history '' .
he was born in istanbul , to cappadocian greek parents .
after studying acting at yale , he acted professionally for eight years , later joining the group theater in 1932 , and co-founded the actors studio in 1947 .
with robert lewis and cheryl crawford , he introduced method acting to the american stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological `` realism . ''
kazan acted in only a few films , including `` city for conquest '' -lrb- 1940 -rrb- .
kazan introduced a new generation of unknown young actors to the movie audiences , including marlon brando and james dean .
noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors , he directed 21 actors to oscar nominations , resulting in nine wins .
he became `` one of the consummate filmmakers of the 20th century '' after directing a string of successful films , including `` a streetcar named desire '' -lrb- 1951 -rrb- , `` on the waterfront '' -lrb- 1954 -rrb- , and `` east of eden '' -lrb- 1955 -rrb- .
during his career , he won two oscars as best director and received an honorary oscar , won three tony awards , and four golden globes .
among the other actors he introduced to movie audiences were warren beatty , carroll baker , julie harris , andy griffith , lee remick , rip torn , eli wallach , eva marie saint , martin balsam , fred gwynne , and pat hingle .
his films were concerned with personal or social issues of special concern to him .
kazan writes , `` i do n't move unless i have some empathy with the basic theme . ''
his first such `` issue '' film was `` gentleman 's agreement '' -lrb- 1947 -rrb- , with gregory peck , which dealt with anti-semitism in america .
it received 8 oscar nominations and 3 wins , including kazan 's first for best director .
it was followed by `` pinky '' , one of the first films to address racial prejudice against blacks .
in 1954 , he directed `` on the waterfront '' , a film about union corruption on the new york harbor waterfront , which some consider `` one of the greatest films in the history of international cinema . ''
`` a streetcar named desire '' -lrb- 1951 -rrb- , an adaptation of the stage play which he had also directed , received 12 oscar nominations , winning 4 , and was marlon brando 's breakthrough role .
in 1955 , he directed john steinbeck 's `` east of eden '' , which introduced james dean to movie audiences , making him an overnight star .
a turning point in kazan 's career came with his testimony as a witness before the house committee on un-american activities in 1952 at the time of the hollywood blacklist , which brought him strong negative reactions from many liberal friends and colleagues .
his testimony helped end the careers of former acting colleagues morris carnovsky and art smith , along with ending the work of playwright clifford odets .
kazan later justified his act by saying he took `` only the more tolerable of two alternatives that were either way painful and wrong . ''
nearly a half-century later , his anti-communist testimony continued to cause controversy .
when kazan was awarded an honorary oscar in 1999 , dozens of actors chose not to applaud as 250 demonstrators picketed the event .
kazan influenced the films of the 1950s and '60s with his provocative , issue-driven subjects .
director stanley kubrick called him , `` without question , the best director we have in america , capable of performing miracles with the actors he uses . ''
film author ian freer concludes that `` if his achievements are tainted by political controversy , the debt hollywood -- and actors everywhere -- owes him is enormous . ''
in 2010 , martin scorsese co-directed the documentary film `` a letter to elia '' as a personal tribute to kazan .
