Elaine Dundy (August 1, 1921 â€" May 1, 2008) was an American
novelist, biographer, journalist, actress and playwright.She was born
Elaine Rita Brimberg in New York City of Polish and Latvian descent.
Her Polish-born Jewish father, Samuel Brimberg, was an office
furniture manufacturer and a violent bully. Her mother was the
daughter of a multimillionaire Jewish manufacturer and inventor. Dundy
was one of three sisters; a sibling was Shirley Clarke, the
independent filmmaker. Dundy grew up in a Park Avenue home where she
was educated by a governess, though she eventually attended high
school, where her boyfriend Terry was the son of playwright Maxwell
Anderson. Later, they met again and almost married. A habituée of New
York nightclubs from the age of 15, she met the exiled Dutch painter
Piet Mondrian, who wished to be taught how to jitterbug. An honors
graduate from Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia, she
studied acting at the Jarvis Theatre School in Washington with future
star actors Rod Steiger, Tony Curtis and others, and in the Dramatic
Workshop was taught by Erwin Piscator.Dundy's controlling father
insisted she live at home while in New York, but she calculated that
her monthly allowance would allow her to live in Paris for a short
time. At the end of World War II, she traveled to Europe, first to
live in Paris, France, dubbing French films, then settled in London,
where she performed in a BBC radio play. In 1950, she met the theater
critic Kenneth Tynan, and two weeks later, they began living together.
They married on January 25, 1951, had a daughter Tracy (born May 12,
1952, London), and became part of the theatrical and film elite of
London and Hollywood.
novelist, biographer, journalist, actress and playwright.She was born
Elaine Rita Brimberg in New York City of Polish and Latvian descent.
Her Polish-born Jewish father, Samuel Brimberg, was an office
furniture manufacturer and a violent bully. Her mother was the
daughter of a multimillionaire Jewish manufacturer and inventor. Dundy
was one of three sisters; a sibling was Shirley Clarke, the
independent filmmaker. Dundy grew up in a Park Avenue home where she
was educated by a governess, though she eventually attended high
school, where her boyfriend Terry was the son of playwright Maxwell
Anderson. Later, they met again and almost married. A habituée of New
York nightclubs from the age of 15, she met the exiled Dutch painter
Piet Mondrian, who wished to be taught how to jitterbug. An honors
graduate from Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia, she
studied acting at the Jarvis Theatre School in Washington with future
star actors Rod Steiger, Tony Curtis and others, and in the Dramatic
Workshop was taught by Erwin Piscator.Dundy's controlling father
insisted she live at home while in New York, but she calculated that
her monthly allowance would allow her to live in Paris for a short
time. At the end of World War II, she traveled to Europe, first to
live in Paris, France, dubbing French films, then settled in London,
where she performed in a BBC radio play. In 1950, she met the theater
critic Kenneth Tynan, and two weeks later, they began living together.
They married on January 25, 1951, had a daughter Tracy (born May 12,
1952, London), and became part of the theatrical and film elite of
London and Hollywood.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.