Tony-Nominated American Buffalo Director Ulu Grosbard Dies at Age 83

Ulu Grosbard, a Tony-nominated director who was equally accomplished in theater and film, passed away in Manhattan some time around March 19. He was 83 years old.

Grosbard was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1929. He was named Israel, but was nicknamed Ulu by his older brother Jack. When World War II consumed Europe, Ulu and his family fled to Havana to wait out the war. He later earned a B.A. and an M.A. in English from the University of Chicago, and then attended Yale Drama School.

Grosbard earned a Tony nomination for his 1962 Broadway directorial debut, Frank D. Gilroy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Subject Was Roses. He earned a second nomination for his work on the original production of David Mamet’s American Buffalo, and his other credits include The Investigation, The Price, That Summer – That Fall, The Floating Light Bulb, The Wake of Jamey Foster and The Tenth Man. He began his film career as assistant director on high-profile films like The Hustler, Splendor in the Grass and The Miracle Worker. He went on to direct films including the screen adaptation of The Subject Was Roses, Georgia, Falling in Love, The Deep End of the Ocean and True Confessions.

Grosbard is survived by his wife, actress Rose Gregorio.