Floria Lasky
Encyclopedia
Floria V. Lasky was an influential American lawyer in the theater world, who represented some of the biggest names in American entertainment.
Lasky was born in the Bronx, New York City
, to Polish Jewish immigrants. She was named for the eponymous heroine of the opera Tosca
. She was the younger sister of American journalist Melvin J. Lasky
.
She entered Hunter College
at the age of 14. After graduating first in her class at New York University
's law school in 1945, she joined the law firm of Fitelson & Mayers, where she would stay for the next 62 years, eventually becoming a principal partner.
Her clients over the years included Jerome Robbins
, Tennessee Williams
, Burl Ives
, David Merrick
, Gypsy Rose Lee
, Jule Styne
, Frederick Loewe and Carson McCullers
. As their lawyer, she was one of the first women to break into the legal sphere of Broadway and beyond. Her law firm, Fitelson, Lasky, Aslan & Couture, continued to represent the estates of many of her clients even after their deaths.
Widowed since 2000, Floria Lasky Altman died aged 84 from cancer
. She was survived by two daughters, two grandchildren and a sister.
Lasky was born in the Bronx, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to Polish Jewish immigrants. She was named for the eponymous heroine of the opera Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
. She was the younger sister of American journalist Melvin J. Lasky
Melvin J. Lasky
Melvin Jonah Lasky was an American journalist, intellectual, and member of the anti-Communist left. He was the older brother of the influential entertainment lawyer Floria Lasky and Joyce Lasky Reed, the President and founder of the Faberge Arts Foundation and former Director of European Affairs...
.
She entered Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
at the age of 14. After graduating first in her class at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's law school in 1945, she joined the law firm of Fitelson & Mayers, where she would stay for the next 62 years, eventually becoming a principal partner.
Her clients over the years included Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
, Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
, David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
, Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:...
, Jule Styne
Jule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
, Frederick Loewe and Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, and two plays, as well as essays and some poetry. Her first novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts of the South...
. As their lawyer, she was one of the first women to break into the legal sphere of Broadway and beyond. Her law firm, Fitelson, Lasky, Aslan & Couture, continued to represent the estates of many of her clients even after their deaths.
Widowed since 2000, Floria Lasky Altman died aged 84 from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. She was survived by two daughters, two grandchildren and a sister.