Moss Hart

Playwright Moss Hart penned many productions that were adapted into films during the '30s and '40s. Born in the Bronx his family was so impoverished that when Hart was 10 he had to drop out of school and go to work. He penned his first play at age 17, but it flopped and the discouraged Hart became a Macy's floorwalker for a year. After that he became a stage actor and from there became a social director in the Catskills for a few summers. Eventually establishing himself as a playwright, Hart frequently collaborated with George S. Kaufman. Moss Hart plays that became films include Once in a Lifetime (1932), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) and The Decision of Christopher Black (1948). In 1963, Hart's autobiographical Act One was made into a feature film with George Hamilton in the title role. Hart earned a Tony in 1957 for his direction of My Fair Lady.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide