![Andre Gregory](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/jc9sMA0kkoDViSUSc8QEi9uvi4Y.jpg)
Andre Gregory
Gregory was born in Paris, France, in 1934 to Russian Jewish parents. He studied at Harvard University, where he was affiliated with Adams House.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Gregory directed a number of avant-garde productions developed through ensemble collaboration, the most famous of which was Alice in Wonderland (1970), based on Lewis Carroll's two classic Alice books. He founded his own theatrical company, The Manhattan Project, in 1968. In 1975 he directed Our Late Night, the first produced play by Wallace Shawn, which began a long working relationship between the two men.
Shortly afterward, Gregory's growing misgivings about the role of theatre in modern life, and what he felt was a trend toward fascism in the United States, led him to abruptly abandon theatre and leave the country. As described in the film My Dinner with Andre (1981), he traveled to Poland at director Jerzy Grotowski's invitation, where he developed a number of experimental theatrical events for private audiences. He spent several years in a variety of esoteric spiritual communities (such as Findhorn) developing an interest and practice in what could be called New Age beliefs.
Although Gregory left the theatre in 1975, he has returned several times to direct small productions, usually for invited audiences. These included a long-running workshop of Uncle Vanya (adapted by David Mamet), which was developed from 1990 to 1994 and featured Shawn and Julianne Moore. Though never publicly performed, it was released as the film Vanya on 42nd Street by Gregory and Louis Malle. He appeared as himself, directing the play featured within the film. Gregory also directed a radio production of Shawn's play, The Designated Mourner, in 2002.
He has had occasional film roles as a character actor, including John the Baptist in The Last Temptation of Christ and Reverend Spellgood in The Mosquito Coast, and as Dante, a restaurateur, alongside Rosanna Arquette, David Bowie, and Buck Henry in The Linguini Incident.
His best-known film performance was as the title character in My Dinner with Andre (1981), directed by Louis Malle, in which he and Wallace Shawn, playing characters based on themselves, have a long conversation over dinner. They discuss Gregory's spiritual sojourn in Europe and his doubts about the future of theatre and of Western civilization in general.
He appeared with Goldie Hawn in Protocol (1984). In 1988 he played the father in Some Girls, with Jennifer Connelly and Patrick Dempsey. In 1993, he performed in the movie Demolition Man with Sylvester Stallone.
Returning to theatre, Gregory directed Shawn's play Grasses of a Thousand Colors, which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in May 2009. He next worked with Shawn on a new version of Ibsen's The Master Builder. This resulted in the film Fear of Falling (2013), directed by Jonathan Demme. The film was retitled A Master Builder at its opening in New York in June 2014.
In 2013, he directed Grasses of a Thousand Colors and The Designated Mourner, starring Shawn in a co-production between Theatre for a New Audience and The Public Theater in New York.
A 2013 documentary about Gregory's life, Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner, was directed by his wife, Cindy Kleine. He and Kleine discussed it on the May 3, 2013, episode of Charlie Rose.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 5.799 |
Birthday | 1934-05-11 |
Place of Birth | Paris, France |
Also Known As |
![The Mosquito Coast](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8A1iDYSp8H5WORWZVCV3E3SpkGD.jpg)
1986
![The Mosquito Coast](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8A1iDYSp8H5WORWZVCV3E3SpkGD.jpg)
The Mosquito Coast
6.365/457
Allie Fox, an American inventor exhausted by the perceived danger and degradation of modern society, decides to escape with his wife and children to B...
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The Mosquito Coast
![Some Girls](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iZz3RKDstcniOSyo0yFr2DP9liB.jpg)
1988
![Some Girls](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iZz3RKDstcniOSyo0yFr2DP9liB.jpg)
Some Girls
5.561/90
While on Christmas break, college student Michael journeys to Quebec City to spend time with his attractive girlfriend, Gabriella. Not long after he a...
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Some Girls
![My Dinner with Andre](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nJAn4vkJEX5G3Bsms8UElSTVLlL.jpg)
1981
![My Dinner with Andre](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nJAn4vkJEX5G3Bsms8UElSTVLlL.jpg)
My Dinner with Andre
7.549/359
Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory share life stories and anecdotes over the course of an evening meal at a restaurant.
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My Dinner with Andre
![The Linguini Incident](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/HTQpzXC2TTIx8KiSgEenRlcMrm.jpg)
1991
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The Linguini Incident
6.5/17
A waitress, a barman and an underwear designer try to rob a New York restaurant where two of them work.
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The Linguini Incident
![The Soldier's Tale](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pUnbevXy64XQT8WBGqqnV15rBGA.jpg)
1984
![The Soldier's Tale](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pUnbevXy64XQT8WBGqqnV15rBGA.jpg)
The Soldier's Tale
6.6/5
A soldier, returning home from war, chances upon a stranger who offers to buy his violin. The stranger is none other than the devil.
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The Soldier's Tale
![Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
2013
![Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner
3.8/2
BEFORE AND AFTER DINNER is an exploration of the life and work of Andre Gregory, groundbreaking director, actor, artist, and raconteur, filmed by priz...
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Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner
![Last Summer in the Hamptons](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g3m93gROYRRgu7lyQPzrka612uK.jpg)
1995
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Last Summer in the Hamptons
5.5/4
Helena Mora, the head of an eccentric theatrical family, has decided to sell her large estate in the Hamptons because of her recent money troubles. Be...
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![A Master Builder](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8j8hI2QPnNH49oXB1dGyy8ivuTM.jpg)
2014
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A Master Builder
6/21
A successful, ego-maniacal architect who has spent a lifetime bullying his wife, employees and mistresses wants to make peace as his life approaches i...
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A Master Builder
![Vanya on 42nd Street](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/sYkkHsqXyUcFoLbXt4WNwnRRpT1.jpg)
1994
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Vanya on 42nd Street
6.6/71
An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 1899 play "Uncle Vanya" played out by a company of actors. The setting is their run down theater with an unusa...
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![Demolition Man](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/dq6AmlVFo92PRuoLCcIyFdoRuxf.jpg)
1993
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Demolition Man
6.714/3559
Simon Phoenix, a violent criminal cryogenically frozen in 1996, escapes during a parole hearing in 2032 in the utopia of San Angeles. Police are incap...
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Demolition Man
![The Shadow](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/xAbFJH3vQYZvUyzzGAtG4OLy492.jpg)
1994
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The Shadow
6/505
Based on the 1930's comic strip, puts the hero up against his arch enemy, Shiwan Khan, who plans to take over the world by holding a city to ransom us...
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![Protocol](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7iCRH6gcLhYCQBpiJisKNKuTqwE.jpg)
1984
![Protocol](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7iCRH6gcLhYCQBpiJisKNKuTqwE.jpg)
Protocol
5.458/83
A Washington waitress saves the Emir of Ohtar's life, launching her diplomatic career and a scandal.
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Protocol
![Street Smart](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7aPwpPjrEozWWBr4fZEwmFeTEh5.jpg)
1987
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Street Smart
5.843/70
A New York journalist lies when his fake story about a pimp describes a real pimp up for murder.
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Street Smart
![Goodbye Lover](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fE4wFIX2GUrhTkK0VuQ88Kd6ew6.jpg)
1999
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Goodbye Lover
5.627/55
Police investigate when a man having an affair with his brother's wife disappears suddenly.
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Goodbye Lover
![The Bonfire of the Vanities](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pdrPrygZ5dVKi8UxrUXMmq1k2iO.jpg)
1990
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
5.553/466
After his mistress runs over a black teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the spotlight; A down-and-out reporter breaks the story and...
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1988
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The Last Temptation of Christ
7.24/1029
Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas -...
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1986
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Follies: In Concert
7/1
A backstage documentary film including footage from the legendary 1985 concert performance of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical at Lincoln Center's A...
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Follies: In Concert
![Location Production Footage: The Last Temptation of the Christ](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
1988
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Location Production Footage: The Last Temptation of the Christ
4/2
Behind the scenes of 'The Last Temptation of the Christ'
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![Author! Author!](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/t23OHqoicdzDOlQcpHJkuKJcQKd.jpg)
1982
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Author! Author!
5.855/97
A broadway playwright is burning the candle at both ends. He is dealing with pressure from a production nearing premiere, a wife who is leaving him, a...
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Author! Author!
![Always … But Not Forever](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/f2LD4Tw0t2KhTsuYFthDqgzetmo.jpg)
1985
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Always … But Not Forever
4.3/3
A middle-aged couple, on the verge of proceeding with a divorce, find themselves questioning their decision to separate when fellow friends and neighb...
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Always … But Not Forever
![Who Is Henry Jaglom?](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kMFu2RfTyjhGSaXoGfiP9Hsy3kx.jpg)
1997
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Who Is Henry Jaglom?
6.6/5
Hailed by some as a cinematic genius, a feminist voice and a true maverick of American cinema, dismissed by others as a voyeuristic fraud and the "wor...
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![Hudson River Blues](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wztVG7GCWN2VPdyPQjJP7bMMbyb.jpg)
1997
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Hudson River Blues
0/0
Hoping to help their marriage, a Manhattan lawyer (Rya Kihlstedt) brings her burned-out husband (Robert Stanton) to her mother's home upstate.
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Hudson River Blues
![Celebrity](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3pbcMORRjqYgfx87CXexLw32gk.jpg)
1998
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Celebrity
5.986/451
The career and personal life of writer Lee are at a standstill, so he divorces his bashful wife, Robin, and dives into a new job as an entertainment j...
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Celebrity
![André Gregory and Wallace Shawn](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ySZGFdJzedXZnU16qILOrka9BCT.jpg)
2009
![André Gregory and Wallace Shawn](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ySZGFdJzedXZnU16qILOrka9BCT.jpg)
André Gregory and Wallace Shawn
0/0
In this hour-long piece, recorded in 2009, filmmaker Noah Baumbach talks with his friends the writer-actors André Gregory and Wallace Shawn about thei...
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André Gregory and Wallace Shawn
![Alice in Wonderland](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mR1c1ssXofv6pLCOes3U0yIAnbY.jpg)
1983
![Alice in Wonderland](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mR1c1ssXofv6pLCOes3U0yIAnbY.jpg)
Alice in Wonderland
8/2
From the elaborate Broadway revival of the 1932 Eva Le Gallienne/Florida Friebus production comes a whimsical retelling of the Lewis Carroll classic.
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