Andre Gregory

Born: 1934-05-11

Gregory was born in Paris, France, in 1934 to Russian Jewish parents. He studied at Harvard University, where he was affiliated with Adams House. During the 1960s and 1970s, Gregory directed a number of avant-garde productions developed through ensemble collaboration, the most famous of which was Alice in Wonderland (1970), based on Lewis Carroll's two classic Alice books. He founded his own theatrical company, The Manhattan Project, in 1968. In 1975 he directed Our Late Night, the first produced play by Wallace Shawn, which began a long working relationship between the two men. Shortly afterward, Gregory's growing misgivings about the role of theatre in modern life, and what he felt was a trend toward fascism in the United States, led him to abruptly abandon theatre and leave the country. As described in the film My Dinner with Andre (1981), he traveled to Poland at director Jerzy Grotowski's invitation, where he developed a number of experimental theatrical events for private audiences. He spent several years in a variety of esoteric spiritual communities (such as Findhorn) developing an interest and practice in what could be called New Age beliefs. Although Gregory left the theatre in 1975, he has returned several times to direct small productions, usually for invited audiences. These included a long-running workshop of Uncle Vanya (adapted by David Mamet), which was developed from 1990 to 1994 and featured Shawn and Julianne Moore. Though never publicly performed, it was released as the film Vanya on 42nd Street by Gregory and Louis Malle. He appeared as himself, directing the play featured within the film. Gregory also directed a radio production of Shawn's play, The Designated Mourner, in 2002. He has had occasional film roles as a character actor, including John the Baptist in The Last Temptation of Christ and Reverend Spellgood in The Mosquito Coast, and as Dante, a restaurateur, alongside Rosanna Arquette, David Bowie, and Buck Henry in The Linguini Incident. His best-known film performance was as the title character in My Dinner with Andre (1981), directed by Louis Malle, in which he and Wallace Shawn, playing characters based on themselves, have a long conversation over dinner. They discuss Gregory's spiritual sojourn in Europe and his doubts about the future of theatre and of Western civilization in general. He appeared with Goldie Hawn in Protocol (1984). In 1988 he played the father in Some Girls, with Jennifer Connelly and Patrick Dempsey. In 1993, he performed in the movie Demolition Man with Sylvester Stallone. Returning to theatre, Gregory directed Shawn's play Grasses of a Thousand Colors, which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in May 2009. He next worked with Shawn on a new version of Ibsen's The Master Builder. This resulted in the film Fear of Falling (2013), directed by Jonathan Demme. The film was retitled A Master Builder at its opening in New York in June 2014. In 2013, he directed Grasses of a Thousand Colors and The Designated Mourner, starring Shawn in a co-production between Theatre for a New Audience and The Public Theater in New York. A 2013 documentary about Gregory's life, Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner, was directed by his wife, Cindy Kleine. He and Kleine discussed it on the May 3, 2013, episode of Charlie Rose.


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as Warden William Smithers - Aged
Released: 1993-10-08

Simon Phoenix, a violent criminal cryogenically frozen in 1996, escapes during a parole hearing...

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Protocol

as Nawaf Al Kabeer
Released: 1984-12-21

A Washington waitress saves the Emir of Ohtar's life, launching her diplomatic career and a scandal.

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as John the Baptist
Released: 1988-05-28

Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into...

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Some Girls

as Mr. D'Arc
Released: 1988-09-09

While on Christmas break, college student Michael journeys to Quebec City to spend time with his...

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The Shadow

as Burbank
Released: 1994-07-01

Based on the 1930's comic strip, puts the hero up against his arch enemy, Shiwan Khan, who plans...

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Celebrity

as John Papadakis
Released: 1998-09-07

The career and personal life of writer Lee are at a standstill, so he divorces his bashful wife,...

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The Mosquito Coast

as Reverend Spellgood
Released: 1986-11-26

Allie Fox, an American inventor exhausted by the perceived danger and degradation of modern...

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The Bonfire of the Vanities

as Aubrey Buffing
Released: 1990-12-21

After his mistress runs over a black teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the...

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My Dinner with Andre

as Andre Gregory
Released: 1981-10-11

Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory share life stories and anecdotes over the course of an evening...

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Goodbye Lover

as Rev. Finlayson
Released: 1999-04-16

Police investigate when a man having an affair with his brother's wife disappears suddenly.

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Street Smart

as Ted Avery
Released: 1987-03-20

A New York journalist lies when his fake story about a pimp describes a real pimp up for murder.

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Author! Author!

as J.J.
Released: 1982-06-18

A broadway playwright is burning the candle at both ends. He is dealing with pressure from a...

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A Master Builder

as Knut Brovik
Released: 2013-11-11

A successful, ego-maniacal architect who has spent a lifetime bullying his wife, employees and...

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Vanya on 42nd Street

as Himself
Released: 1994-10-19

An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 1899 play "Uncle Vanya" played out by a company of...

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Always

as Party Philosopher
Released: 1985-10-04

A middle-aged couple, on the verge of proceeding with a divorce, find themselves questioning...

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The Linguini Incident

as Dante
Released: 1991-05-01

A waitress, a barman and an underwear designer try to rob a New York restaurant where two of...

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Who Is Henry Jaglom?

as Self
Released: 1997-07-08

Hailed by some as a cinematic genius, a feminist voice and a true maverick of American cinema,...

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Last Summer in the Hamptons

as Ivan Axelrod
Released: 1995-11-22

Helena Mora, the head of an eccentric theatrical family, has decided to sell her large estate in...

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Follies: In Concert

as Dimitri Weismann
Released: 1986-03-14

A backstage documentary film including footage from the legendary 1985 concert performance of...

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Hudson River Blues

as uncredited
Released: 1997-12-12

Hoping to help their marriage, a Manhattan lawyer (Rya Kihlstedt) brings her burned-out husband...

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Alice in Wonderland

as Mad Hatter
Released: 1983-10-03

From the elaborate Broadway revival of the 1932 Eva Le Gallienne/Florida Friebus production...

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André Gregory and Wallace Shawn

as uncredited
Released: 2009-01-01

In this hour-long piece, recorded in 2009, filmmaker Noah Baumbach talks with his friends the...

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The Soldier's Tale

as Narrator (voice)
Released: 1984-01-01

A soldier, returning home from war, chances upon a stranger who offers to buy his violin. The...

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Great Performances

as Mad Hatter
First aired: 1971-01-28

The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse...

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Great Performances

as Dimitri
First aired: 1971-01-28

The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse...

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