Arts

Looking Back On Internationally Renowned Director Gerald Freedman's Legacy

7:01pm March 18, 2020

Gerald Freedman was the Dean of the Drama School at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (1991-2012) until a stroke forced him to retire. On Tuesday he died in his home in Winston-Salem at the age of 92. Image courtesy: UNCSA

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Internationally renowned stage director, Broadway veteran, and beloved University of North Carolina School of the Arts Dean Gerald Freedman has died. He passed away at his home in Winston-Salem on Tuesday. He was 92 years old.

In the history of modern theatre and film, few have had more impact than Freedman. During his half-century working in Hollywood and New York, he directed the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, and countless others.

In 1991, Freedman brought those experiences to what was formerly known as School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, transforming the lives of thousands as Dean of the Drama School. One of them was Isaac Klein who calls Freedman the greatest teacher he ever had. His book The School of Doing: Lessons From Theater Master Gerald Freedman pays tribute, and in 2017 he and Freedman joined WFDD's David Ford to speak about it. Former Freedman student and Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Kline joined the conversation.

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