Woody Allen is one of the most prominent and important figures in contemporary film comedy. As his career has progressed, he has evolved from stand-up comic to talented writer and director, to sophisticated filmmaker. Born Allen Stewart Konigsberg, the son of Martin Konigsberg and Nettie Cherry, Allen was brought up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. His early interests included magic and card tricks, the clarinet (he still plays), sports, and movies. The influence of the cinema can be seen in his early films which spoof familiar movie genres like the gangster and spy films and the documentary. His later work is heavily influenced by Ingmar Bergman. He began writing early, and from the time he was in the first grade his papers were read aloud at school because of their excellence. While at Midwood High School (1949 to 1953) he started sending jokes to columnists such as Earl Wilson and Walter Winchell, who used them by claiming they were the witty remarks of a star or public personality.
