Don Gregory

Gregory was born Donald Ginsberg to a Jewish family in the Bronx on December 3, 1934, the son of Dorothy (née Sheffrin) and Morris Ginsberg.^[1] When he was four years old, his father died and his mother remarried and moved the family to Norwich, Connecticut.^[1] He attended the University of Connecticut but left before graduating and moved to California to become an actor.^[1] He changed his name so it sounded less "ethnic."^[1] In the 1950s, he joined the U.S. Army and after he completed his service, he moved back to New York City where he worked as a talent agent.^[1]

In the 1970s, leveraging his pool of clients and connections, he began to produce solo-performer shows that matched a celebrated actor with a celebrated historical personage. They included: Clarence Darrow by David W. Rintels and starring Henry Fonda as Clarence Darrow; and The Belle of Amherst by William Luce starring Julie Harris as Emily Dickinson.^[1] In 1980, he paired Richard Burton as King Arthur in Camelot.^[1] In 1981, he paired Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady; and Richard Harris in a return engagement in Camelot.^[1] In 1983, he co-produced Othello with James Earl Jones in the title role and Christopher Plummer as Iago.^[1] He also produced Paul Robeson starring James Earl Jones.^[1] His other Broadway credits include the 1981 musical Copperfield; Buttons on Broadway with Red Buttons in 1995; and a 2012 revival of the comedy Harvey written by Mary Chase starring Jim Parsons.^[1] Off-Broadway credits include Dore Schary's play FDR with Robert Vaughn as Franklin Delano Roosevelt; a revival of The Belle of Amherst starring Joely Richardson; and Nobody Don't Like Yogi, by Tom Lysaght with Ben Gazzara as Yogi Berra.^[1]

Gregory was married twice. His first wife was Carolyn Fitzpatrick,^[1] an Irish Catholic.^[3] They had two children: television journalist David Gregory and Stephanie Gregory Mitchell; they later divorced and she remarried (now Carolyn Surtees).^[1] In 1981, he remarried to Kaye Romine.^[1] He died of at stroke at his home in Boca Raton, Florida on November 5, 2015.^[1]