Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
8 suggestions available
Watchlist
Sign in
Sign in
New customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

George S. Kaufman(1889-1961)

  • Writer
  • Additional Crew
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
American playwright of acerbic wit. Twice won the Pulitzer Prize, and is best known for his collaborative authorship of "Once in a Lifetime," with Moss Hart (1930); "Of Thee I Sing," with Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin (1931); "Dinner at Eight," with Edna Ferber (1932); "You Can't Take It with You" and "The Man Who Came to Dinner," again with Hart (1936 and 1939, respectively) and "The Solid Gold Cadillac," with Howard Teichmann (1953). (George Gershwin supplied the music for "Of Thee I Sing.")
BornNovember 16, 1889
DiedJune 2, 1961(71)
BornNovember 16, 1889
DiedJune 2, 1961(71)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels

Known for

James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, and Edward Arnold in You Can't Take It with You (1938)
You Can't Take It with You
7.8
  • Writer
  • 1938
Groucho Marx, Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera (1935)
A Night at the Opera
7.8
  • Writer
  • 1935
Merrily We Roll Along
Merrily We Roll Along
  • Writer
    Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Animal Crackers (1930)
    Animal Crackers
    7.4
    • Writer
    • 1930

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Writer



    • Merrily We Roll Along
      • from the play by
      • In Production



    • Merrily We Roll Along (2013)
      Merrily We Roll Along
      8.2
      • based on the play by
      • 2013
    • The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000)
      The Man Who Came to Dinner
      7.6
      TV Movie
      • play
      • 2000
    • Bam kai kato
      TV Movie
      • play: George Washington Slept Here
      • 1996
    • Brain Donors (1992)
      Brain Donors
      6.9
      • screenplay "A Night At the Opera" (suggestion)
      • 1992
    • Lauren Bacall, Charles Durning, John Mahoney, Harry Hamlin, Ellen Greene, and Marsha Mason in Dinner at Eight (1989)
      Dinner at Eight
      5.1
      TV Movie
      • play
      • 1989
    • Once in a Life Time
      TV Movie
      • Writer
      • 1988
    • You Can't Take It with You (1987)
      You Can't Take It with You
      6.8
      TV Series
      • play
      • 1987
    • Great Performances (1971)
      Great Performances
      7.9
      TV Series
      • play
      • 1974–1984
    • Drei gegen Hollywood (1982)
      Drei gegen Hollywood
      TV Movie
      • play "Once in a Lifetime"
      • 1982
    • Prisel na veceri
      7.3
      TV Movie
      • play
      • 1981
    • You Can't Take It with You (1979)
      You Can't Take It with You
      7.4
      TV Movie
      • play
      • 1979
    • Jacques Balutin, Darry Cowl, Jean Lefebvre, Jacqueline Maillan, Maria Pacôme, Fernand Raynaud, and Michel Roux in Au théâtre ce soir (1966)
      Au théâtre ce soir
      7.7
      TV Series
      • play
      • 1978
    • Rosemary Harris, Eva Le Gallienne, Sam Levene, and Ellis Rabb in The Royal Family (1977)
      The Royal Family
      7.4
      TV Movie
      • play
      • 1977
    • Orson Welles in The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972)
      The Man Who Came to Dinner
      7.2
      TV Movie
      • play
      • 1972
    • Of Thee I Sing (1972)
      Of Thee I Sing
      6.2
      TV Movie
      • Writer
      • 1972

    Additional Crew



    • Lon Chaney Jr., Betty Field, and Burgess Meredith in Of Mice and Men (1939)
      Of Mice and Men
      7.8
      • from the play staged by
      • 1939
    • Groucho Marx, Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera (1935)
      A Night at the Opera
      7.8
      • dialogue director (uncredited)
      • 1935

    Director



    • William Powell and Ella Raines in The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947)
      The Senator Was Indiscreet
      6.5
      • Director
      • 1947

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • George Kaufman
    • Born
      • November 16, 1889
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Died
      • June 2, 1961
      • New York City, New York, USA(heart attack)
    • Spouses
        Leueen MacGrathMay 26, 1949 - 1957 (divorced)
    • Children
      • Anne Kaufman Schneider
    • Relatives
      • Beatrice Colen(Grandchild)
    • Other works
      Active on Broadway in the following productions:
    • Publicity listings
      • 5 Print Biographies
      • 3 Portrayals
      • 7 Articles

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Had a torrid affair with Mary Astor, which was revealed in court during Astor's 1936 divorce trial when she was fighting her husband for custody of their daughter. Her personal diary, which detailed the physical pleasures Kaufman had given her during their affair, was introduced by her husband's lawyers to besmirch her reputation. The resulting scandal only seemed to make her more popular with the public, and likely led to her being cast in her most famous role as the vamp in The Maltese Falcon (1941). Being publicly known as a stud did nothing to hurt Kaufman's reputation, either.
    • Quotes
      When a community theater group was caught performing one of Kaufman's plays without permission or payment of royalties, Kaufman threatened to send them to jail for theft. The theater director thought they didn't need to pay royalties because, as he put it, "It's just a small, insignificant, little theater in a small, insignificant, little town." Kaufman's reply: "Then we'll send you all to a small, insignificant, little jail."
    • Salary
      • A Night at the Opera
        (1935)
        $100,000

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Production art
    Photos
    Hollywood Power Couples
    See the gallery
    Production art
    List
    July 2025 TV and Streaming Premiere Dates
    See the list

    Add demo reel with IMDbPro

    Demo reel thumbnail
    Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
    Upload your demo reel

    Add demo reel with IMDbPro

    Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
    Upload your demo reel
    Demo reel thumbnail

    How much have you rated?

    Keep track of how much of George S. Kaufman’s work you have rated. Go to your list.

    Projects in development

    Get more at IMDbPro
    Poster
    List
    Most Popular Indian Movies of 2025 So Far
    See the list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.