Films such as
Play It Again, Sam, Annie Hall, Hanna and Her Sisters, and
Husbands and Wives--to mention just a few--have entered film lexicons around the world as examples of smart comedies about love in the somewhat real world. Admired in Europe as much as--if not more than--he is in the United States, Allen concocts a wry blend of the klutzy schlemiel anti-hero who finds and loses romance, positing this character in movies that plumb the New York urban experience, poking and nudging the world of man-woman relationships. Earning Oscar awards for best director and best screenplay, Allen is, according to
Maclean's contributor Brian D. Johnson, "the man who virtually invented the art of witty conversation in American movies."
From Konigsberg to Allen
Allen was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg in pre-World War II Brooklyn, New York. In many ways, the growing boy resembled his peers: "I was out in the streets from 8 o'clock in the morning," Allen told Newsweek contributor Jack Kroll, "playing baseball and basketball. At lunchtime I'd race into the house, eat a tuna-fish sandwich by myself and read a comic book--Superman, Batman or Mickey Mouse.
This is a free page. This page contains 174 words. This
biography contains 6,312 words (approx. 21 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our Woody Allen Access Pass.
