258:
Broadway and Off-Broadway production between 1950 and 2000, as well as much of the same from Off-Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. And because of Mr. Willis's personal interest in performers, he amassed a collection of tens of thousands of photographs of performers from the twentieth century, many collected directly from the performers themselves, signed, and incredibly rare. Mr. Willis favorably responded to all inquiries for the loan of materials from the archive, and organizations such as the
352:
Publications Board, in which he has been consistently listed among luminaries in Who's Who in
America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Entertainment, and Who's Who in the East, for well over twenty years. He served on the nominating committees for the Tony Awards and the New York University Hall
403:
John Willis was born in
Morristown, Tennessee. He attended Morristown High School, from which he graduated in 1934. He attended Milligan College in Tennessee. He later began taking extension classes at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (1938-41)....Willis was in the U.S. Navy during World War
257:
archive, widely considered to be the most complete privately held theatrical pictorial and statistical archive on twentieth century theatre and film, including complete press kits, publicity information, advertisements, all reviews, publicity photographs, and even ticket stubs, from nearly every
268:
have used his photographs for tributes and articles. He has also been responsible for many annual deposits of his collected photographs and statistical information on films to the
Institute of the American Musical, in Los Angeles, California.
198:. As such, Willis has long provided encouragement to newcomers in a challenging industry. As the Theatre World Award is often the very first professional award for most honorees, the New York theatre community holds it in high regard.
129:
are the oldest definitive pictorial and statistical records of each
American theatrical and foreign and domestic film season, and are referenced daily by industry professionals, students, and historians worldwide.
26:(October 16, 1916 – June 25, 2010) was an American theatre and film book editor, theatre awards producer, actor, and educator. He is best known for editing the long-running annual publications
357:
Clarence Brown
Theatre. In 2007, he was honored by his alma mater, Milligan College, when they dedicated the John Willis Wing of the new Gregory Center for Liberal Arts.
202:
515:
159:
seasons, major theatrical awards, obituaries, and the longest
Broadway and Off-Broadway runs, among other categories. Ben Hodges is the current editor of
38:, and for producing the annual Theatre World Awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts for over forty years, from the early 1960s to the early 2000s.
186:. Over the years, Mr. Willis regularly oversaw and attended the ceremonies, and personally presented the Debut Award to such diverse talents as
178:. The awards hold the distinction of being the first to recognize Outstanding Debut in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Role; the first honorees were
231:
570:
345:
550:
525:
565:
222:, founded in 1949, documents, maintains statistics and includes photographs from almost every film produced and/or released in the
201:
Willis was instrumental in the establishment of TWA's nonprofit status in 1997. The awards are currently chosen by a committee of
555:
575:
156:
91:
540:
472:
535:
530:
520:
560:
545:
95:
17:
71:
333:
404:
II. He also taught non-consecutively in the New York City public schools system for twenty five-years.
87:
50:
and graduated from
Morristown High School in 1934. He earned an undergraduate degree in English from
467:
391:
354:
63:
264:
47:
510:
505:
349:
341:
175:
8:
416:
421:
179:
144:
59:
55:
191:
337:
152:
79:
51:
486:
438:
206:
195:
75:
499:
259:
227:
223:
187:
183:
28:
490:
148:
67:
34:
329:
463:
383:
174:
From 1945 until the early 2000s, Mr. Willis presided over the annual
102:
143:, founded in 1945, covers the complete statistical and photographic
83:
477:
94:
for over twenty years and retired in 1976. He was a member of
417:"John Willis, Ubiquitous Editor of Theatre World, Dies at 93"
336:
Lifetime
Achievement Award, in addition to having received a
108:
378:
376:
374:
372:
370:
367:
237:
287:
A Pictorial
History of the American Theatre 1860–1985.
272:
497:
101:Willis died at age 93 on June 25, 2010, in his
384:"John Willis's Dance World papers (1950-1984)"
353:of Fame, and was on the national board of the
348:William K. Everson Award, as well awards from
332:for "Excellence in the Theatre" and the 2003
516:United States Navy personnel of World War II
464:John Willis's Dance World papers (1950-1984)
109:Achievements as an entertainment historian
311:A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen.
307:A Pictorial Treasury of Opera in America,
105:home, of complications from lung cancer.
90:. Mr. Willis was an English teacher with
16:For other people with the same name, see
425:, June 28, 2010. Accessed June 29, 2010.
277:Mr. Willis also served as editor of the
166:
498:
289:Previously, he served as assistant to
433:
431:
328:, Mr. Willis received a Special 2001
571:20th-century American naval officers
301:A Pictorial History of the Talkies,
113:Willis was editor in chief of both
13:
473:Theatre World Awards Official Site
428:
304:A Pictorial History of Television,
295:Great Stars of the American Stage,
273:Other performing arts publications
14:
587:
551:People from Morristown, Tennessee
526:American male non-fiction writers
457:
566:Historians from New York (state)
439:"Theatre World Award Recipients"
133:
41:
212:
46:Mr. Willis was originally from
556:University of Tennessee alumni
409:
1:
576:United States Navy reservists
360:
92:New York Public School System
249:Mr. Willis also founded the
18:John Willis (disambiguation)
7:
72:United States Naval Reserve
54:, and did graduate work at
10:
592:
541:Milligan University alumni
388:Archives & Manuscripts
334:Broadway Theatre Institute
226:. It includes obituaries,
96:Actors' Equity Association
74:where he was stationed in
15:
536:Indiana University alumni
531:Harvard University alumni
315:
117:and its companion series
86:. he rose to the rank of
521:American film historians
346:National Board of Review
468:New York Public Library
392:New York Public Library
355:University of Tennessee
293:founder Daniel Blum on
234:is the current editor.
121:for forty-three years.
88:lieutenant junior grade
64:University of Tennessee
561:Writers from Tennessee
546:Writers from Manhattan
441:. Theater World Awards
230:nominees and winners.
203:New York Drama Critics
98:for over fifty years.
285:series, the landmark
48:Morristown, Tennessee
342:Lucille Lortel Award
298:Great Stars of Film,
176:Theatre World Awards
70:, he served in the
422:The New York Times
180:Barbara Bel Geddes
60:Indiana University
56:Harvard University
350:Marquis Who's Who
192:Jennifer Holliday
24:John Alvin Willis
583:
451:
450:
448:
446:
435:
426:
413:
407:
406:
400:
398:
380:
338:Drama Desk Award
157:regional theatre
153:Off-Off-Broadway
80:Marshall Islands
52:Milligan College
591:
590:
586:
585:
584:
582:
581:
580:
496:
495:
480:, publisher of
460:
455:
454:
444:
442:
437:
436:
429:
414:
410:
396:
394:
382:
381:
368:
363:
318:
275:
247:
217:
172:
138:
111:
44:
21:
12:
11:
5:
589:
579:
578:
573:
568:
563:
558:
553:
548:
543:
538:
533:
528:
523:
518:
513:
508:
494:
493:
487:John A. Willis
484:
478:Applause Books
475:
470:
459:
458:External links
456:
453:
452:
427:
415:Weber, Bruce.
408:
365:
364:
362:
359:
317:
314:
274:
271:
246:
236:
216:
211:
207:Peter Filichia
205:and hosted by
196:John Leguizamo
171:
165:
137:
132:
110:
107:
76:Enewetak Atoll
43:
40:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
588:
577:
574:
572:
569:
567:
564:
562:
559:
557:
554:
552:
549:
547:
544:
542:
539:
537:
534:
532:
529:
527:
524:
522:
519:
517:
514:
512:
509:
507:
504:
503:
501:
492:
488:
485:
483:
482:Theatre World
479:
476:
474:
471:
469:
465:
462:
461:
440:
434:
432:
424:
423:
418:
412:
405:
393:
389:
385:
379:
377:
375:
373:
371:
366:
358:
356:
351:
347:
343:
339:
335:
331:
327:
323:
322:Theatre World
320:On behalf of
313:
312:
308:
305:
302:
299:
296:
292:
291:Theatre World
288:
284:
280:
270:
267:
266:
261:
260:Actors Studio
256:
252:
251:Theatre World
244:
240:
239:Theatre World
235:
233:
229:
228:Academy Award
225:
224:United States
221:
215:
210:
208:
204:
199:
197:
193:
189:
188:Warren Beatty
185:
184:Marlon Brando
181:
177:
169:
168:Theatre World
164:
162:
161:Theatre World
158:
154:
150:
146:
142:
141:Theatre World
136:
135:Theatre World
131:
128:
124:
123:Theatre World
120:
116:
115:Theatre World
106:
104:
99:
97:
93:
89:
85:
84:South Pacific
81:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
42:Personal life
39:
37:
36:
31:
30:
29:Theatre World
25:
19:
491:Find a Grave
481:
445:20 September
443:. Retrieved
420:
411:
402:
395:. Retrieved
387:
326:Screen World
325:
321:
319:
310:
306:
303:
300:
297:
294:
290:
286:
282:
278:
276:
263:
255:Screen World
254:
250:
248:
243:Screen World
242:
238:
232:Barry Monush
220:Screen World
219:
218:
214:Screen World
213:
200:
173:
167:
160:
149:Off-Broadway
140:
139:
134:
127:Screen World
126:
122:
119:Screen World
118:
114:
112:
100:
68:World War II
45:
35:Screen World
33:
27:
23:
22:
511:2010 deaths
506:1916 births
283:Opera World
279:Dance World
265:Vanity Fair
500:Categories
361:References
344:, and the
330:Tony Award
62:, and the
397:28 August
103:Manhattan
82:, in the
66:. During
145:Broadway
324:and/or
245:archive
316:Awards
194:, and
170:Awards
155:, and
447:2009
399:2021
340:, a
309:and
281:and
262:and
182:and
125:and
32:and
489:at
466:at
502::
430:^
419:,
401:.
390:.
386:.
369:^
253:/
241:/
209:.
190:,
163:.
151:,
147:,
78:,
58:,
449:.
20:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.