Levien, Sonya, 1888?-1960
Name Entries
person
Levien, Sonya, 1888?-1960
Name Components
Name :
Levien, Sonya, 1888?-1960
Levien, Sonya, 1898-1960
Name Components
Name :
Levien, Sonya, 1898-1960
Levien, Sonya
Name Components
Name :
Levien, Sonya
Levien, Sonya, ca 1888-1960
Name Components
Name :
Levien, Sonya, ca 1888-1960
Levien, Sonya, 1898-1969.
Name Components
Name :
Levien, Sonya, 1898-1969.
Levien, Sonja 1888-1960
Name Components
Name :
Levien, Sonja 1888-1960
Levien, Sonja, ca 1888-1960
Name Components
Name :
Levien, Sonja, ca 1888-1960
Hovey, Sonya, 1888-1960
Name Components
Name :
Hovey, Sonya, 1888-1960
Hovey, Sonya, ca 1888-1960
Name Components
Name :
Hovey, Sonya, ca 1888-1960
Genders
Exist Dates
Biographical History
Sonya Levien was born in Russia, most likely around 1888, although her "official" birthdate is usually given as December 25, 1898. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was eight years old, settling on the East Side of New York City. She worked her way through New York University Law School and was admitted to the Bar in 1909. Temperamentally unsuited to the practice of the law, she secured a position on the Woman's Journal. She joined the staff of Metropolitan magazine and married the magazine's editor, Carl Hovey, in 1917; they had two children, and remained married until his death in 1956. The Fox Film Corporation signed her to a contract in 1929, and she remained there until 1940; in 1941, she went to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. During her career, Levien either wrote or collaborated on seventy films and in 1955, she and William Ludwig won the Academy Award for story and screenplay for the film, "Interrupted Melody." Sonya Levien died of cancer on March 19, 1960.
Biographical Note
Sonya Levien was born in Russia, most likely around 1888, although her "official" birth date is usually given as 25 December 1898. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was eight years old, settling on the East Side of New York City. She worked her way through New York University Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1909. Finding that, temperamentally, she was unfit for the practice of law, she secured a position on the Woman's Journal, a magazine owned by Alice Stone Blackwell, primarily devoted to woman's suffrage. She joined the staff of Metropolitan magazine, eventually becoming an assistant editor. She married the magazine's editor, Carl Hovey, in 1917; they had two children, and remained married until his death in 1956. Her short stories attracted the attention of Jesse L. Lasky, head of Famous Players-Lasky, who invited her to Hollywood in 1921. Hew first scenario, Cheated Love (1921), was adapted by Levien from one of her short stories. A long-term contract was offered, but not wanting to leave her family in New York City, she declined. Not long after, however, Carl Hovey accepted a position as story editor for Cecil B. DeMille, and Levien returned to California. The Fox Film Corporation signed her to a contract in 1929, where she remained until 1940. At Fox, she was entrusted with writing the screenplays of vehicles for the studio's most popular stars, Janet Gaynor (six films) and Will Rogers (five films). Among her most noteworthy screenplays of this period were Daddy Long Legs (1931), Cavalcade (1933), State Fair (1933), The Country Doctor (1936), In Old Chicago (1938), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939). In 1941, she went to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where her versatility was proven with such prestigious films as The Valley of Decision (1945), The Green Years (1946), Quo Vadis (1951), The Great Caruso (1951), Oklahoma! (1955), Interrupted Melody (1955), for which she and William Ludwig won the Academy Award for story and screenplay, and Bhowani Junction (1956). Undeniably one of the most beloved and prolific of screenwriters, she was credited with 70 screenplays and was the sole screenwriter for 32 films. Sonya Levien died of cancer on 19 March 1960.
(This biography was compiled by Carolyn Powell, November 1994)
eng
Latn
External Related CPF
https://viaf.org/viaf/122003592
https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q434645
https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n85262639
https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n85262639
Other Entity IDs (Same As)
Sources
Loading ...
Resource Relations
Loading ...
Internal CPF Relations
Loading ...
Languages Used
eng
Zyyy
Subjects
Antisemitism
International relief
Motion picture authorship
Motion pictures
Race relations
Suffragists
World War, 1939-1945
Nationalities
Americans
Activities
Occupations
Screenwriters
Legal Statuses
Places
United States
AssociatedPlace
United States
AssociatedPlace
Soviet Union
AssociatedPlace
Great Britian
AssociatedPlace
Spain
AssociatedPlace
Convention Declarations
<conventionDeclaration><citation>VIAF</citation></conventionDeclaration>