Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American choreographer, director, and producer, who was active in both theatre and film. He was known for his work on Broadway as a choreographer for productions for Barbra Streisand, Stephen Sondheim, Richard Rodgers, and Arthur Laurents. His credits included A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in 1951, Finian's Rainbow in 1960, I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1962, and Do I Hear a Waltz? in 1965. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Choreography for Anyone Can Whistle in 1964.
On screen, he was known for directing musicals and comedies such as Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Sunshine Boys, Funny Lady (both 1975), The Goodbye Girl (1977), California Suite (1978), and Pennies From Heaven (1981). His later films included Footloose (1984), and Steel Magnolias (1989). For the drama The Turning Point (1977), he received two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director and received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.
Early life Ross was born on May 13, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Louis Chester Ross, a postal clerk, and his wife Martha (née Grundfast). His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants. When Ross was nine, his mother died and his father moved the family to Miami and opened a luncheonette.
After dropping out of high school, Ross initially went to New York to pursue an acting career. However, during his work there, he was captivated by dance and went on to study it.
Career Theatre Dancer
In 1942, Ross' stage debut came as "Third Witch" in a touring company of Macbeth. The next year brought his first Broadway performance credits with Something for the Boys, as a dancer. Ross was a dancer in Follow the Girls (1943–44), Laffing Room Only (1944–45), Beggar's Holiday (1946–47), and Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!.
Choreographer
By 1950, he was a choreographer with the American Ballet Theatre and choreographed his first Broadway production, the Arthur Schwartz-Dorothy Fields musical adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951). For TV he choreographed All Star Revue, The Milton Berle Show, and The Steve Allen Plymouth Show. Ross's first film assignment came as an uncredited choreographer on Carmen Jones (1954).
Back on Broadway he choreographed House of Flowers (1954) for Peter Brook, and The Body Beautiful (1958). He choreographed some TV specials: The Jerry Lewis Show (1957), Wonderful Town (1958), Meet Me in St Louis (1959) and A Christmas Festival (1959). On Broadway Ross directed and choreographed a revival of Finian's Rainbow (1960). In 1965, Ross choreographed the original production of On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever and, without credit, took over the helm from the director of record, Robert Lewis, when the musical ran into trouble in Boston during its pre-Broadway tryout tour.
Ross went to England where he choreographed the feature film The Young Ones (1961), starring Cliff Richard. He returned to Broadway to be musical director on The Gay Life (1961–62) and I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962), the latter directed by Arthur Laurents and starring Barbra Streisand. He choreographed The Bacchantes (1961) in Italy. Ross then choreographed a second Cliff Richard musical in England, Summer Holiday (1963). On Broadway he choreographed Tovarich (1963) with Vivien Leigh and Anyone Can Whistle (1964) with Laurents. For TV he did musical numbers for The Fantasticks (1964), The Bell Telephone Hour, Delia Scala Show (1962), Rinaldo in campo (1963), and The Nut House!! (1964) and staged numbers for the films Inside Daisy Clover (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and Doctor Dolittle (1967).
On Broadway Ross directed and choreographed Kelly (1965), and choreographed Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965-66). He did some additional staging on The Apple Tree (1966–67) directed by Mike Nichols. Ross was choreographer and director of musical numbers for Funny Girl (1968), produced by Ray Stark.
Film His film directorial debut came with the musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), made by MGM-British, with Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark. It was produced by Arthur P. Jacobs who had made Doctor Dolittle two years prior, and just like that film, Goodbye, Mr. Chips was a box-office disappointment. However, Ross' second feature as director, The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), was a big hit. The film was produced by Ray Stark and stars Streisand.
Ross did T.R. Baskin (1971) then Play It Again, Sam (1972), the latter produced by Jacobs and starring Woody Allen based on his play. Ross made The Last of Sheila (1973) co-written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, and Funny Lady (1975) with Stark and Streisand. Ross directed The Sunshine Boys (1975) based on a play and script by Neil Simon, starting a long collaboration between the two men; Stark produced. Ross directed The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), and The Turning Point (1977); Ross produced the latter.
Ross had two big hits with Simon scripts produced by Stark, The Goodbye Girl (1977) and California Suite (1978). Ross returned to Broadway to direct Neil Simon's Chapter Two (1977–79). After doing the ballet film Nijinsky (1980) he directed Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures (1980–81) on Broadway. He followed this with Pennies from Heaven (1981) and the film version of I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982). His last film with Simon was Max Dugan Returns (1983).
Later career Ross had a huge hit with Footloose (1984). He followed this with two comedies, Protocol (1984) with Goldie Hawn and The Secret of My Success (1987) with Michael J. Fox. Less successful was Dancers (1987).
Ross had one last big hit with another play adaptation, Steel Magnolias (1989). In the 1990s, he directed My Blue Heaven (1990), True Colors (1991), Undercover Blues (1993) and Boys on the Side (1995).
Personal life In 1959, he married Nora Kaye, a ballerina, with whom he produced four films. In 1987, his wife Nora died of cancer.
In September 1988, he married for the second time to Lee Radziwiłł, the younger sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The marriage ended in divorce in 2001, shortly before his death. In 2013, Radziwiłł described their relationship as follows:
He was certainly different from anybody else I'd been involved with, and the film world sounded exciting. Well, it wasn't. I hated Hollywood, and the provincialism of the industry ... Herbert had been married to the ballerina Nora Kaye until she died, and unbeknownst to me was still obsessed by her. It was 'Nora said this, Nora did it like that, Nora liked brown and orange.'
Death On October 9, 2001, Ross died from heart failure in New York City. A memorial was held for him at the Majestic Theater on West 44th Street in New York where Leslie Browne, Barbara Cook, Arthur Laurents, Marsha Mason, Mike Nichols and Mary-Louise Parker spoke of Ross. He was interred with Kaye in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
The 2011 remake of Footloose was dedicated to Ross' memory.
Stage credits YearTitleContributed toRoleNotesDirectingChoreo.ActingDancing1942 Macbeth 3rd WitchTouring1943-44 Something for the Boys1944-46Follow the GirlsDancing Boy1944-45 Laffing Room Only Ensemble member1946-47 Beggar's Holiday1948 Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!1951 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn1952Three Wishes for Jamie1954-55House of Flowers1955-56The Amazing Adele1958The Body Beautiful1960Finian's Rainbow1961-62The Gay LifeMusical staging1962I Can Get It for You Wholesale1963Hot SpotTovarich1964Anyone Can WhistleDylanAnyone Can Whistle1965Do I Hear a Waltz?Kelly1965-65On a Clear Day You Can See Forever1966-67The Apple TreeAddt. Musical staging 1977-79Chapter Two1980-81I Ought to Be in Pictures1985FolliesThe Boys of WinterLeft during previews1995Anyone Can Whistle Sources:
Filmography Film YearTitleContributed toNote Directing ProducingChoreo.1954 Carmen Jones Uncredited1961The Bacchantes The Young Ones 1963 Summer Holiday 1965Inside Daisy Clover Musical staging1966Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Uncredited1967Doctor Dolittle Musical staging1968 Funny Girl 1969 Goodbye, Mr. Chips Directorial Debut1970 The Owl and the Pussycat 1971 T.R. Baskin 1972 Play It Again, Sam 1973The Last of Sheila 1975 The Sunshine Boys Funny Lady Musical staging1976The Seven-Per-Cent Solution 1977The Turning Point The Goodbye Girl 1978California Suite 1980Nijinsky 1981 Pennies From Heaven 1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures 1983 Max Dugan Returns 1984Footloose Protocol 1987 The Secret of My Success Dancers 1989 Steel Magnolias 1990 My Blue Heaven 1991 True Colors Soapdish 1993 Undercover Blues 1995 Boys on the Side
Television YearTitleContributed toNotesDirectingProducingChoreo.1953All Star Revue1953-54Texco Berle Theater 1954Wonderful Town Television filmThe Paul Winchell Show1954-56The Martha Raye Show1956The Steve Allen Show1957The Jerry Lewis ShowSpecial1959Meet Me in St. LouisTelevision filmA Christmas Festival1963Rinaldo in campo1964-66The Bell Telephone Hour 6 episodes1964The Nut House!! SpecialHallmark Hall of FameEpisode: "The Fantasticks"Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall1986Great PerformancesEpisode: "Follies in Concert"1994Placido Domingo's Tales from the OperaEpisode: "La bohème"
Awards and nominations InstitutionYearCategoryWorkResultAmerican Choreography Awards1997Career Achievement AwardAcademy Awards1977 Best Picture The Turning Point Best Director David di Donatello1978Best Foreign DirectorThe Goodbye Girl Directors Guild of America Awards1977 Outstanding Directing - Feature FilmThe Turning Point Giffoni Film Festival1971Golden GryphonGoodbye, Mr. Chips Golden Globe Awards 1977 Best Director The Turning Point Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 1977 Best Director Moscow International Film Festival1995Golden St. GeorgeBoys on the SideTokyo International Film Festival1987Grand PrixDancers Tony Award 1964 Best Choreography Anyone Can Whistle Valladolid International Film Festival1976Best FilmThe Sunshine Boys
+Awards and nominations for Ross' directed motion picturesYearFilmAcademy AwardsBAFTAsGolden GlobesNominationsWinsNominationsWinsNominationsWins1969Goodbye, Mr. Chips2311970The Owl and the Pussycat11975Funny Lady56The Sunshine Boys412541976The Seven-Per-Cent Solution21977The Turning Point11162The Goodbye Girl5131541978California Suite311211981Pennies from Heaven3311984Footloose211987The Secret of My Success11989Steel Magnolias1121Total383813514
Directed Academy Award Performances Under Ross' direction, these actors have earned Oscar nominations and wins for their performances in these respective roles. YearPerformerFilmResultBest Actor Oscar1970Peter O'TooleGoodbye, Mr. Chips1976Walter MatthauThe Sunshine Boys1978Richard DreyfussThe Goodbye GirlBest Actress Oscar1978Anne BancroftThe Turning PointShirley MacLaineMarsha MasonThe Goodbye GirlBest Supporting Actor Oscar1976George BurnsThe Sunshine Boys1978Mikhail BaryshnikovThe Turning PointBest Supporting Actress Oscar1978Leslie BrowneThe Turning PointQuinn CummingsThe Goodbye Girl1979Maggie SmithCalifornia Suite1990Julia RobertsSteel Magnolias
References
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