Arthur Miller: Biographical Information
Arthur Asher Miller was born October 17th, 1915 in Harlem, New York. His parents, Augusta and Isidore, were Polish-Jewish immigrants. His father manufactured women's coats while his mother was a schoolteacher. The family became very wealthy, but was hit hard by the Wall Street Crash in 1929, being forced to move to Brooklyn.
After Graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1932, Miller worked several menial jobs in order to save money for college. He attended the University of Michigan, where he first majored in journalism and worked at the student paper. During this time, Miller wrote his first play and subsequently decided to change his major to English. He graduated in 1938, having already won two awards for his plays No Villain and Honor at Dawn.
After school Miller began work at the Federal Theater Project, a New Deal initiative agency that provided theater jobs for the unemployed. Here Miller had his first experience with McCarthy era policies, as the project was closed in 1939 due to congressional worries of Communist infiltration. In 1940 Miller married Mary Slattery, with whom he had two children, and began writing full time.
In 1948 Miller wrote what was to become his most famous play, Death of a Salesman, in a small studio in Connecticut. The work premiered in 1949 and became the first play ever to win the Tony Award for Best Author, the New York Drama Circle Critics Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1952 the plays director, Elia Kazan, appeared before the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) where he named eight actors as Communists to avoid being blacklisted from Hollywood. It was after speaking with Kazan about the incident that Miller was inspired to go to Salem and research the witch hunts, which led him to write The Crucible.
The below clip features Arthur Miller in 1971 discussing his views on Communism and the atmosphere of the 1950s.
After Graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1932, Miller worked several menial jobs in order to save money for college. He attended the University of Michigan, where he first majored in journalism and worked at the student paper. During this time, Miller wrote his first play and subsequently decided to change his major to English. He graduated in 1938, having already won two awards for his plays No Villain and Honor at Dawn.
After school Miller began work at the Federal Theater Project, a New Deal initiative agency that provided theater jobs for the unemployed. Here Miller had his first experience with McCarthy era policies, as the project was closed in 1939 due to congressional worries of Communist infiltration. In 1940 Miller married Mary Slattery, with whom he had two children, and began writing full time.
In 1948 Miller wrote what was to become his most famous play, Death of a Salesman, in a small studio in Connecticut. The work premiered in 1949 and became the first play ever to win the Tony Award for Best Author, the New York Drama Circle Critics Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1952 the plays director, Elia Kazan, appeared before the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) where he named eight actors as Communists to avoid being blacklisted from Hollywood. It was after speaking with Kazan about the incident that Miller was inspired to go to Salem and research the witch hunts, which led him to write The Crucible.
The below clip features Arthur Miller in 1971 discussing his views on Communism and the atmosphere of the 1950s.
Marilyn Monroe and HUAC
In 1956 Miller left his first wife to wed actress Marilyn Monroe. The couple had met in 1951, when they had a brief affair, and remained in contact since.
It was shortly after this that Miller applied for a routine passport renewal and was subpoenaed by the HUAC. Monroe accompanied Miller to the hearing, where he gave a detailed account of his political activities. When asked to name names, Miller refused, replying that he "could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him." Miller was held in contempt of Congress in 1957, blacklisted, disallowed a US passport, and sentenced to a $500 fine or thirty days in prison. The conviction was overturned in 1958 by a court of appeals.
Monroe and Miller's marriage was plagued with difficulties. Monroe's difficulty with fame and worsening drug addiction drove the couple apart. These difficulties culminated when the two worked together on The Misfits, a period Miller would later describe as the lowest of his life. The pair became estranged during filming and divorced in 1961 shortly before the film premiered.
The below clip features Miller speaking in Salem about his research and feelings about The Crucible in 1991.
It was shortly after this that Miller applied for a routine passport renewal and was subpoenaed by the HUAC. Monroe accompanied Miller to the hearing, where he gave a detailed account of his political activities. When asked to name names, Miller refused, replying that he "could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him." Miller was held in contempt of Congress in 1957, blacklisted, disallowed a US passport, and sentenced to a $500 fine or thirty days in prison. The conviction was overturned in 1958 by a court of appeals.
Monroe and Miller's marriage was plagued with difficulties. Monroe's difficulty with fame and worsening drug addiction drove the couple apart. These difficulties culminated when the two worked together on The Misfits, a period Miller would later describe as the lowest of his life. The pair became estranged during filming and divorced in 1961 shortly before the film premiered.
The below clip features Miller speaking in Salem about his research and feelings about The Crucible in 1991.