Anne Beatts
American writer (1947–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anne Beatts (February 25, 1947 – April 7, 2021) was an American screenwriter and comedy writer.
Anne Beatts | |
|---|---|
 Beatts in 2010 | |
| Born | February 25, 1947 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 2021 (aged 74) |
| Alma mater | McGill University |
| Occupations | Screenwriter, comedy writer |
| Notable work | National Lampoon Saturday Night Live Square Pegs |
Early life
Beatts was born in Buffalo, New York, to Sheila Elizabeth Jean (Sherriff-Scott) and Patrick Murray Threipland Beatts.[1][2][3] She has described her parents as "beatniks."[4] Beatts had what has been called an "aggressive, dark sensibility."[4] Growing up in Somers, New York, she later attended McGill University.[4]
It was at McGill University where Beatts discovered the dark humor of Jewish writers J. D. Salinger, Philip Roth, and Bruce Jay Friedman.[4] At this time, Beatts converted to Judaism.[4]
National Lampoon
After graduating from college, Beatts wrote for The Village Voice and National Lampoon magazine, a national offshoot of the Harvard Lampoon.[5] She co-wrote a parody advertisement for Volkswagen, conceived by Philip Socci, for which the magazine was later sued by the car company.[6] The advertisement stated, "If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen, he'd be President today," accompanied by a photograph of a VW Beetle floating on a lake (an allusion to Kennedy's Chappaquiddick incident).[7]
During Beatts' time at National Lampoon magazine, she worked with Michael O'Donoghue. The two became romantically involved,[7] and both joined the creative team of Saturday Night Live in the early years of the program.[8]
Television
At SNL, she was nominated for an Emmy five times, winning once.[9] Beatts created the 1982 CBS sitcom Square Pegs starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Jami Gertz,[10] and additionally appeared in uncredited guest spots on the early SNL.[citation needed] For Square Pegs, Beatts hired a staff of five women writers, believing they would be best able to voice the experiences of a teenage girl, but the network compelled her to include a male writer, Andy Borowitz, to connect with a broader audience.[11]
Beatts wrote the book for the 1985 Ellie Greenwich jukebox musical Leader of the Pack.[12]
Starting in 1987, she produced the first season of The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World.[13]
In 2000 she won a Writers Guild Award for Best Comedy/Variety show for her part in writing the Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special.[14]
In 2006, she directed the series John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You with her writing and producing partner, Eve Brandstein, for B-Girls Productions.
In 2007, Beatts served as one of the judges for the online comedy competition Project Breakout.[15]
Beatts served as Adjunct Professor in the Writing Division at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts,[16] as well as at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. She also gave private lessons on writing sketch comedy.[17]
Media portrayals
Beatts was portrayed by Natasha Lyonne in the 2018 Netflix film A Futile and Stupid Gesture, and Leander Suleiman in Saturday Night. She was profiled in the January 6, 2020, issue of New York Magazine.[18]
Death
Beatts died at age 74 on April 7, 2021, at her home in West Hollywood.[19][20]
Works
- National Lampoon (Magazine)
- National Lampoon's Lemmings (with Sean Kelly, Tony Hendra, Christopher Guest, and Paul Jacobs) (1973) (Stage Show)
- Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle (with Michael O'Donoghue) (1975) (Adaptation)
- National Lampoon: A Dirty Book (1976) (Book)
- Saturday Night Live (1975–1980) (TV)
- Titters: The First Collection of Humor by Women (with Deanne Stillman) (1976) (Book)
- Gilda Live (with Gilda Radner, Michael O'Donoghue, Alan Zweibel, Don Novello, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Paul Shaffer, and Rosie Shuster) (1980) (Stage Show)
- Square Pegs (1982–1983) (TV)
- Titters 101 (with Deanne Stillman and Judith Jacklin Belushi) (1984) (Book)
- Leader of the Pack (1985) (Stage Show)
- The Mom Book (with Judith Jacklin Belushi and Deanne Stillman) (1986) (Book)
- A Different World (1987–1988) (TV) (Producer only)
- Faerie Tale Theatre (1987) (TV)
- The Belles of Bleeker Street (1991) (TV)
- Murphy Brown (1991) (TV)
- The Elvira Show (1993) (TV)
- The Stephanie Miller Show (1995) (TV)
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (2000) (TV)
- Hollywood Off-Ramp (2000) (TV)
- 56th Annual Writers' Guild Awards (2004) (TV)