Miner, Worthington, 1900-1982

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1900-11-13
Death 1982-12-11

Biographical notes:

Worthington Miner, actor, stage and film director and noted television producer and pioneer, was born in Buffalo, New York in 1900.

He made his Broadway debut as a spear carrier in the 1925 production of CYRANO DE BERGERAC, but soon turned to directing with the aid of Katharine Cornell. In 1942, after over ten years of directing stage and film productions, he became manager of Columbia Broadcasting System's entire television department.

At CBS, Worthington Miner produced three major programs reaching his zenith in 1948 with STUDIO ONE, a program which showed adaptations of dramatic works. In his efforts to bring quality entertainment to a large audience, Miner became a television innovator. He pioneered such camera techniques as the close-up and the long-shot and was instrumental in developing the craft of live television acting, combining techniques used by both stage and film actors. After STUDIO ONE, Worthington Miner produced several more television programs and the acclaimed 1964 motion picture THE PAWNBROKER. He died in New York City in 1982.

From the description of Studio One production files, 1948-1955. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122517564

Worthington (Tony) Miner, director, writer, and noted television producer, was born in Buffalo, New York on November 13, 1900. His parents were Worthington Cogswell Miner, a lawyer, and Margaret Willard, who later became chairman of the board of the Greenwich House School of Music. Miner attended the Kent School in Connecticut, graduated from Yale in 1922, and studied at Cambridge University until 1924. He came to the theater quite by chance when he was asked to hold the prompt book at a play rehearsal while visiting a friend in London.

He made his Broadway debut as a "spear carrier" in the 1925 production of Cyrano de Bergerac . By 1929, after working under Guthrie McClintic and Jed Harris, he was directing plays. During the next ten years Miner staged over thirty productions including Reunion in Vienna, Both Your Houses, and On Your Toes . In 1939 he joined CBS as general program manager and in 1942 he became manager of the entire CBS television department. He produced The Goldbergs, early broadcasts of Toast of the Town, and Mr. I. Magination before reaching his zenith with Studio One in 1948. Miner became a television innovator, pioneering such camera techniques as the close-up and the long shot, and was instrumental in developing the craft of live television acting. Leaving Studio One in 1952, Miner produced several other television programs, including Medic and Play of the Week, and the motion picture The Pawnbroker .

Miner was on the board of the Theatre Guild and was president and chairman of the board of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was married to actress Frances Fuller. They had three children. Miner died in New York City on December 11, 1982.

From the guide to the Studio One production files, 1948-1955, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)

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Subjects:

  • Television
  • Television
  • Television adaptations
  • Television producers and directors

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