---
name: "Gene Saks"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gene-saks"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "8 November 1921"
died: "28 March 2015"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T04:34:07.443530+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gene Saks

Actor. Born 8 November 1921 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 28 March 2015.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 8 November 1921, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 28 March 2015
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Saks, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1388109, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757256/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/69300

## Biography

Gene Saks was an American director and actor. Born Jean Michael Saks in New York City on 8 November 1921, he began his career as a performer on Broadway in 1949 and appeared in the original stage production of *A Thousand Clowns* (1962). He reprised the role of Leo Herman in the 1965 film adaptation.

Saks became best known as a stage and film director, particularly for his long association with playwright Neil Simon. He directed the film versions of *Barefoot in the Park* (1967), *The Odd Couple* (1968), *Cactus Flower* (1969) and *Brighton Beach Memoirs* (1986). On Broadway he won three Tony Awards for direction, for *I Love My Wife*, *Brighton Beach Memoirs* and *Biloxi Blues*. He died in East Hampton, New York, on 28 March 2015.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, imdb.com, ibdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *A Thousand Clowns* (1965), Fi1m 76, as Leo — [page](https://film.one/film/a-thousand-clowns.md)

## Complete filmography (22)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Barrymore* (2012), Executive Producer
- *Deconstructing Harry* (1997), as Harry's Father
- *Bye Bye Birdie* (1995), Director
- *I.Q.* (1994), as Boris Podolsky
- *Nobody's Fool* (1994), as Wirf Wirfley
- *A Fine Romance* (1991), Director
- *The Good Policeman* (1991), Actor
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as Carl Samuel — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *Brighton Beach Memoirs* (1986), Director
- *The Goodbye People* (1984), as Marcus Soloway
- *Lovesick* (1983), as Mr. Houseman, Frantic Patient
- *The One and Only* (1978), as Sidney Seltzer
- *The Prisoner of Second Avenue* (1975), as Harry Edison
- *Mame* (1974), Director
- *Last of the Red Hot Lovers* (1972), Director
- *Cactus Flower* (1969), Director
- *The Odd Couple* (1968), Director
- *Barefoot in the Park* (1967), Director
- *A Thousand Clowns* (1965), as Leo — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/a-thousand-clowns.md)
- *The Dybbuk* (1960), as Mikoel
- *Three Plays by Tennessee Williams* (1958), as Bob Harper (Segment "The Last of My Solid Gold Watches")
- *Playwrights '56* (1955), series, Actor

## Awards

### Other awards — 3 won, 4 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play 1991: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play 1985: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (won)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play 1983: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (won)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical 1977: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (won)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play 1975: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical 1966: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical 1965: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominated)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gene-saks