Stephen M. Silverman, a renowned entertainment reporter and author, whose works included a highly regarded biography of the famously reserved British director David Lean, as well as an upcoming book about the legendary Broadway figure Stephen Sondheim, passed away on July 6 in Manhattan at the age of 71. His executor, Diane Reid, confirmed that his death was a result of renal disease.
During his career, Mr. Silverman challenged the common misconception that his beat was superficial. In an interview with Muck Rack, he refuted the notion that his work was mere fluff. As a journalist, he covered Broadway and Hollywood for The New York Post from 1977 to 1988. In 1995, he joined People magazine as one of the founding members of its website, originally known as People Daily and now called people.com. He served as the news editor for 20 years and wrote numerous obituaries for notable individuals. Additionally, he reported on various celebrity events for the website, such as Mickey Rourke’s arrest, Betty White’s hosting of “Saturday Night Live,” and Halle Berry’s post-baby workout.
One of Mr. Silverman’s idols was the meticulous filmmaker David Lean, known for directing both intimate films like “Brief Encounter” (1945) and “Great Expectations” (1946), as well as epic productions like “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962) and “Doctor Zhivago” (1965). The late author even adorned a wall in his Manhattan apartment with a large poster of Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia.” Mr. Silverman had the privilege of spending time with the director in London during the 1980s, conducting interviews that contributed to his book “David Lean” (1989), with an introduction by Katharine Hepburn. Notably, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, and Julie Christie, who starred in some of Lean’s films, also granted interviews to Mr. Silverman. Several of them expressed surprise that Lean had finally consented to a book, as he had declined previous offers from British journalists over the past two decades.
Reviewing “David Lean” for The Boston Globe, the film critic Jay Carr commended Mr. Silverman for his engaging and informative exploration of Lean and his films. Carr lauded the author’s ability to seamlessly integrate behind-the-scenes anecdotes and images into his diligent reporting and interviews.
Aside from his biography on David Lean, Mr. Silverman had written about other prominent figures in the entertainment industry. In the 1990s, he published a biography on movie mogul Darryl Zanuck, and delved into topics beyond his usual specialty. His works include books on Los Angeles movie palaces, female comedians, and Stanley Donen, a renowned director of Hollywood musicals, responsible for classics like “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (1954) and “Funny Face” (1957). In his authorized biography of Donen, titled “Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and His Movies” (1996), Mr. Silverman captured Donen’s critical assessment of his collaborator Gene Kelly, with whom he shared the director’s chair in “On the Town” (1949) and “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952). Donen expressed that Kelly received more credit than he deserved in their joint efforts, culminating in an uneasy working relationship.
Stephen Meredith Silverman was born on November 22, 1951, in West Covina, California. His father, Raymond, owned a grocery store and later a liquor store, while his mother, Shirley (Garfine) Silverman, was a homemaker. He displayed his writing talents early on by editing his high school newspaper. In 1969, he graduated from high school and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Irvine in 1973. In 1975, he obtained a master’s degree from the Columbia Journalism School.
In the 1980s, Mr. Silverman embarked on a project to produce a musical based on “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” a popular slapstick comedy featuring Black characters that originated on radio and transitioned to television. However, his aspirations were thwarted when CBS, facing protests from civil rights groups who deemed the show demeaning, withdrew it from syndication in 1966. In 1987, a federal judge ruled against Mr. Silverman in a lawsuit he filed against CBS, prohibiting him from using the names of the show’s characters and other trademarked materials.
Some of Mr. Silverman’s literary pursuits deviated from the entertainment world. In 2015, he collaborated with film producer Raphael D. Silver to publish “The Catskills: Its History and How It Changed America,” exploring the impact of the region on American culture. He also penned “The Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them” (2019), which delved into the rich history of amusement parks.
During an interview with “CBS This Morning” at Luna Park in Coney Island, Mr. Silverman eloquently described the allure of amusement park rides, emphasizing the temporary escape they provide from everyday concerns: “Even just a single roller coaster, when you’re at the top, you’re not thinking of paying the mortgage.”
Mr. Silverman is survived by no immediate family members. After the passing of Stephen Sondheim in late 2021, the publishing house Black Dog & Leventhal, a division of the Hachette Book Group, invited Mr. Silverman to write a book about the legendary composer. Titled “Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy,” the book is set to be released in September and will combine biography, analysis, and opinion. As part of his research, Mr. Silverman extensively reviewed existing literature on and by Sondheim, interviewed his friends and colleagues, and delved into the composer’s vast body of work.
In his book, Mr. Silverman delves into Mr. Sondheim’s creative clashes with Leonard Bernstein during their collaboration on the Broadway musical “West Side Story” (1957), for which Mr. Sondheim, then 27, wrote the lyrics, while Mr. Bernstein, 39 at the time, composed the music. According to Mr. Silverman, Sondheim took issue with Bernstein’s tendency to fancy himself a lyricist, often producing purple prose instead of poetry. Sondheim remarked, “It screamed, ‘Look at me, I’m being poetic!'”
Stephen M. Silverman leaves behind a rich legacy of insightful and captivating works that have left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment journalism and biography.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
