Fay Kanin

Fay Kanin (1917-2013) was an American writer for film, television and the stage, and was the first female President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to serve a full term. Her writing has been awarded 3 Emmy Awards (Tell Me Where it Hurts, Best Writing in Drama, 1974; Writer of the Year, 1974; Friendly Fire, Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special, 1978); and nominated for an Academy Award (Teacher’s Pet, with husband Michael Kanin, Best Writing, 1959); and a Tony (Grind, Best Book of a Musical, 1985). Ms. Kanin’s writing for the stage includes Goodbye, My Fancy(Broadway, 1949),His and Hers(with Michael Kanin, Broadway, 1954), Rashomon (with Michael Kanin, Broadway, 1959, later adapted into a film and TV special), and The High Life(with Michael Kanin, Howard Dietz, and Arthur Schwartz, Broadway, 1962). Screenplays written with her husband Michael Kanin include Sunday Punch (MGM, 1942), My Pal Gus (1954), Rhapsody (1954), The Women (1956), The Opposite Sex (1956), Teacher’s Pet (1958), Rashomon (Broadway, 1959) and The Right Approach (1961). Ms. Kanin’s writing for television includes Heat of Anger (1972), Tell Me Where It Hurts (1974), Hustling (1975), Friendly Fire (1979) and Heartsounds (1984). For 20 years, Ms. Kanin served as president of the Screen Branch of the Writers Guild of America and chair of the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board. Other honors include the Board of the Governors Award from the American Society of Cinematographers (1993), the Humanitas Prize / Kieser Award (2003), the Edmund J. North (2005) and Valentine Davies (1975) Awards from the Writers Guild, the Library of Congress’s 100th Living Legend Award (2009), and induction into the Producers Guild of America’s Hall of Fame for television.