Biografia
Hillard Elkins was a groundbreaking producer who shattered sexual taboos and created one of Broadway’s longest-running hits with the erotic revue "Oh! Calcutta!", which ran for 20 years. Known as Hilly to his friends, he began his career in the mailroom at William Morris in New York and quickly advanced to become a leading agent, heading the company’s theatrical division. After founding his own company, representing clients such as Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Robert Culp, Mel Brooks, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, and Sammy Davis Jr., he transitioned to producing. He soon developed a series of notable plays and films, including the musical "Golden Boy," the film "Alice's Restaurant," and the Broadway premieres of two Athol Fugard plays that won two Tony Awards.
Elkins made his Broadway debut in 1962 with "Come On Strong," a Garson Kanin comedy starring Carroll Baker and Van Johnson, produced in partnership with Al Goldin. He convinced Sammy Davis Jr. to star as the violinist-turned-prizefighter in the musical adaptation of Clifford Odets’ play "Golden Boy," bringing Odets out of retirement to write the book. After Odets’ death in August 1963, William Gibson revised the script. The production garnered four Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Producer of a Musical.
More seriously, Elkins produced Ibsen’s plays "Hedda Gabler" and "A Doll’s House" in London and on Broadway, and opened the Kennedy Center in Washington with these productions starring his then-wife Claire Bloom. He made a significant mark on 1960s counterculture by producing Ken Tynan’s musical revue "Oh! Calcutta!" and, with Arthur Penn directing, the film adaptation of Arlo Guthrie’s "Alice’s Restaurant." In 1960, he established Elkins Productions International, his first production company. His energetic style and ability to manage multiple theater and film projects simultaneously were chronicled in the 1972 book "The Producer" by Christopher Davis, offering an inside look at show business.
Over the years, Elkins produced numerous projects including the 1970 musical "The Rothschilds" starring Hal Linden and Jill Clayburgh, Sammy Davis Jr.’s "Stop the World," Ben Vereen’s "Pippin," Leonard Bernstein’s "Candide," the Huberman Festival in Israel, Gore Vidal’s "Richard Nixon," the Leary-Liddy debates, concerts featuring Quentin Crisp and Georgia Brown, as well as several films. Among these were the Elaine May-Walter Matthau comedy "A New Leaf" (1971) and "Richard Pryor: Live in Concert" (1979), which critic Pauline Kael hailed as possibly the greatest recorded performance film ever.
Hillard Elkins is survived by his wife, Sandi Love; his two sons, Johnny and Daniel; and his granddaughter, Ellen.
