Madeline Lee Gilford
Encyclopedia
Madeline Lee Gilford was an American
film
and stage
actress and social activist, who later enjoyed a career as a theatrical producer
. Gilford was the widow of actor
Jack Gilford
, whom she married in 1949. Jack Gilford died in 1990.
borough of the Bronx on May 30, 1923 to Polish Jewish
immigrant parents. She began working as a child actress when she was just three years old. Her elder sister, Frances Lederman (September 28, 1910 — February 13, 2010), was an actress, known professionally as Lee.
Gilford reportedly appeared in the early Our Gang
episode reels, which were shot in Brooklyn
in the 1920s. Copies of the original cast list are hard to verify as many records have been lost. She later worked as an actress on radio
and stage, performing in the play, Embezzled Heaven, with Ethel Barrymore
in 1944.
in the Bronx, for which she was expelled from the school. Gilford met her future husband, Jack Gilford
, at a political meeting for left wing causes in 1947. The couple were married in 1949 and remained together for forty years until Jack's death in 1990. (Both husband and wife had left their original spouses for each other during the late 1940s.)
ed and blacklisted during the McCarthy Era for much of the 1950s. Madeline Lee Gilford and her husband, Jack Gilford, were specifically named by choreographer, Jerome Robbins
during his testimony
before the House Un-American Activities Committee
. She was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953. A 1953 article
by the New York Times reported that she cited the First Amendment
, Fourth Amendment
, Fifth Amendment
and Eighth Amendments
to the United States Constitution
as reasons to resist the Congressional questioning. At the same hearing, Gilford was questioned about the 1942 May Day Parade
which she had participated in. According to the New York Times, Gilford immediately retorted to the HUAC committee, "Look, I'm a comedian
, not Joan of Arc
. The words 'recant', 'confess', 'you're a heretic
' are not exactly my dish."
Jack Gilford also testified at the same hearing as his wife. Both actors had trouble finding work in the entertainment industry during much of the rest of the 1950s and McCarthy Era due to the Hollywood blacklist
. Madeline continued to find some work, often offscreen, during this time. In a 2003 interview
with The Forward
, she noted that, "There was no Broadway blacklist." The couple also borrowed money from friends to make ends meet.
The couple made their professional comeback during the post-McCarthy Era of the early 1960s. Jack Gilford made his comeback in the 1962 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
. The production costarred Zero Mostel
, a close friend of the couple, but was choreographed by Jerome Robbins
, who had testified against the Gilfords in 1953. Several years later, Madeline Lee Gilford encountered Jerome Robbins at a New Year's Eve party. According to A Journal of the Plague Years, a 1973 book by Stefan Kanfer, Madeline reportedly told Robbins with a toast that "1953 can kiss my ass".
speech by Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial
. Many years later she was arrested for civil disobedience
in 1999 while protesting the police shooting of Amadou Diallo
in New York City.
Gilford co-authored a memoir
in 1978 with Kate Mostel, the wife of Zero Mostel
, entitled 170 Years in Show Business. The book told the story of the professional and personal lives of the two couples, including their encounters with other showbiz
celebrities ranging from Dorothy Parker
to Lotte Lenya
.
During the 1980s, Gilford became a Broadway theater producer and casting director. She co-produced the 1982 play, The World of Sholom Aleichim, which starred her husband, as well as the unsuccessful Broadway musical Rags in 1986. She also continued to act until shorty before her death. Her most recent television credits included Law & Order
, while her film credits included The Birdcage
, The Savages
, Cocoon: The Return
and The Old Feeling. In one of her last appearances on screen, Gilford appeared in the 2008 film Sex and the City
, the big screen adaptation of the original HBO television series.
, New York City, at the age of 84 from undisclosed causes. She was survived by her daughter, Lisa, two sons, Joe and Sam, and three grandchildren. Her funeral was held on April 17, 2008, at the Riverside Memorial Chapel on Manhattan
's Upper West Side
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
actress and social activist, who later enjoyed a career as a theatrical producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
. Gilford was the widow of actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Jack Gilford
Jack Gilford
Jack Gilford was an American actor on Broadway, films and television.-Early life:Gilford was born Jacob Aaron Gellman on the lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, and grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn...
, whom she married in 1949. Jack Gilford died in 1990.
Early life
Gilford was born as Madeline Lederman in the New York CityNew 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...
borough of the Bronx on May 30, 1923 to Polish Jewish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
immigrant parents. She began working as a child actress when she was just three years old. Her elder sister, Frances Lederman (September 28, 1910 — February 13, 2010), was an actress, known professionally as Lee.
Gilford reportedly appeared in the early Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
episode reels, which were shot in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in the 1920s. Copies of the original cast list are hard to verify as many records have been lost. She later worked as an actress on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and stage, performing in the play, Embezzled Heaven, with Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
in 1944.
Social activism
Gilford began her social activism early in life. She organized the National Student Union at Walton High SchoolWalton High School (New York City)
Walton High School was a secondary school located in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx borough in New York.Walton's colors were sky blue and white. Its motto Semper Fidelis means "always faithful". The school seal is an open book supported by the torch of learning, and the school crest...
in the Bronx, for which she was expelled from the school. Gilford met her future husband, Jack Gilford
Jack Gilford
Jack Gilford was an American actor on Broadway, films and television.-Early life:Gilford was born Jacob Aaron Gellman on the lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, and grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn...
, at a political meeting for left wing causes in 1947. The couple were married in 1949 and remained together for forty years until Jack's death in 1990. (Both husband and wife had left their original spouses for each other during the late 1940s.)
McCarthy Era
Both Madeline and Jack were both subpoenaSubpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
ed and blacklisted during the McCarthy Era for much of the 1950s. Madeline Lee Gilford and her husband, Jack Gilford, were specifically named by choreographer, 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...
during his testimony
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
. She was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953. A 1953 article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
by the New York Times reported that she cited the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
, Fourth Amendment
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause...
, Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215...
and Eighth Amendments
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual...
to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
as reasons to resist the Congressional questioning. At the same hearing, Gilford was questioned about the 1942 May Day Parade
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
which she had participated in. According to the New York Times, Gilford immediately retorted to the HUAC committee, "Look, I'm a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, not Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
. The words 'recant', 'confess', 'you're a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
' are not exactly my dish."
Jack Gilford also testified at the same hearing as his wife. Both actors had trouble finding work in the entertainment industry during much of the rest of the 1950s and McCarthy Era due to the Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
. Madeline continued to find some work, often offscreen, during this time. In a 2003 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
, she noted that, "There was no Broadway blacklist." The couple also borrowed money from friends to make ends meet.
The couple made their professional comeback during the post-McCarthy Era of the early 1960s. Jack Gilford made his comeback in the 1962 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
. The production costarred Zero Mostel
Zero Mostel
Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel was an American actor of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus on stage and on screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version...
, a close friend of the couple, but was choreographed by 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...
, who had testified against the Gilfords in 1953. Several years later, Madeline Lee Gilford encountered Jerome Robbins at a New Year's Eve party. According to A Journal of the Plague Years, a 1973 book by Stefan Kanfer, Madeline reportedly told Robbins with a toast that "1953 can kiss my ass".
Later career
Madeline Lee Gilford continued her role as a social activist following the McCarthy Era. She took a leading role in demonstrations during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Gilford stood very close to main platform for the 1963 I Have A DreamI Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
speech by Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
. Many years later she was arrested for civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
in 1999 while protesting the police shooting of Amadou Diallo
Amadou Diallo
Amadou Diallo was a 23-year-old Guinean immigrant in New York City who was shot and killed on February 4, 1999 by four New York City Police Department plain-clothed officers: Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon and Kenneth Boss. The four officers fired a total of 41 shots...
in New York City.
Gilford co-authored a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
in 1978 with Kate Mostel, the wife of Zero Mostel
Zero Mostel
Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel was an American actor of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus on stage and on screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version...
, entitled 170 Years in Show Business. The book told the story of the professional and personal lives of the two couples, including their encounters with other showbiz
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
celebrities ranging from Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles....
to Lotte Lenya
Lotte Lenya
Lotte Lenya was an Austrian singer, diseuse, and actress. In the German-speaking and classical music world she is best remembered for her performances of the songs of her husband, Kurt Weill. In English-language film she is remembered for her Academy Award-nominated role in The Roman Spring of Mrs...
.
During the 1980s, Gilford became a Broadway theater producer and casting director. She co-produced the 1982 play, The World of Sholom Aleichim, which starred her husband, as well as the unsuccessful Broadway musical Rags in 1986. She also continued to act until shorty before her death. Her most recent television credits included Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, while her film credits included The Birdcage
The Birdcage
The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols, and stars Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski. The script was written by Elaine May...
, The Savages
The Savages (film)
The Savages is a 2007 American comedy-drama film, written and directed by Tamara Jenkins. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.-Plot:...
, Cocoon: The Return
Cocoon: The Return
Cocoon: The Return is a 1988 science fiction film that is the sequel to the 1985 film Cocoon. All of the starring actors from the first film reprised their roles in this film, although Brian Dennehy only appears in one scene at the end of the film...
and The Old Feeling. In one of her last appearances on screen, Gilford appeared in the 2008 film Sex and the City
Sex and the City: The Movie
Sex and the City is a 2008 American blue romantic comedy film adaptation of the HBO comedy series of the same name about four female friends: Carrie Bradshaw , Samantha Jones , Charlotte York Goldenblatt , and Miranda Hobbes , dealing with their lives as...
, the big screen adaptation of the original HBO television series.
Death
Madeline Lee Gilford died on April 15, 2008, in her apartment in Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, New York City, at the age of 84 from undisclosed causes. She was survived by her daughter, Lisa, two sons, Joe and Sam, and three grandchildren. Her funeral was held on April 17, 2008, at the Riverside Memorial Chapel on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
.