George Seligman Oppenheimer (February 7, 1900 in New York City – August 14, 1977) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and journalist.[1]
In 1925, Oppenheimer cofounded The Viking Press, but becoming more interested in writing than publishing, he began a career as a screenwriter in Hollywood in 1933, hired to complete the screenplay of Samuel Goldwyn's comedy Roman Scandals (1933). For the rest of the 1930s he was employed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, primarily as a script doctor, rewriting, editing or polishing existing scripts.
Oppenheimer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work on The War Against Mrs. Hadley at the 15th Academy Awards of 1942.[2]
His contributions to theater criticism are recognized by the Newsday George Oppenheimer Award, which was awarded annually from 1979 to 2007 to the best New York debut production by an American playwright for a non-musical play.[3]
Oppenheimer graduated from Williams College and studied at Harvard University with George Pierce Baker. He joined Newsday in 1955 to write the weekly "On Stage" column, became a daily critic in 1963, and was named Sunday drama critic in 1972.[4]
Oppenheimer, a homosexual, never married. Oppenheimer was the occasional sexual partner of the young Harry Hay; the pair met while cruising on Hollywood Boulevard.[5] [6]