Master of Ceremonies: A Memoir (32 page)

With Agnes Gund and Philip Johnson, Municipal Art Society’s “Honorary New Yorkers,” 1983.

Banner outside the Museum of the City of New York for my photo exhibit
A New York Life
in 2011.

A historic staged reading I directed of
The Normal Heart
in 2010 at The Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City.
Back row, from left:
Joe Mantello, Larry Kramer, Jason Butler Harner, Victor Garber, Jack McBrayer, John Benjamin Hickey, and Patrick Wilson;
front row, from left:
Glenn Close, me, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Cerveris, and Santino Fontana.

Clark, Jennifer, and Stella Gregg, 2015.

James, now a first-rate chef, and me on holiday in Bermuda.

Always close.

Jennifer and me at the Tony Awards, 2015.

“Wonderful” Idina Menzel and me in
Wicked,
2003.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There have been so many people on and at my side for as long as I can remember—of course, most dearly, my dad, mom, my daughter Jennifer, her husband Clark Gregg, granddaughter Stella, my son James, brother Ron, his wonderful late wife Maddie, my “cuzzin” Lee, Jo Wilder, and my godmother Jeanne Schneider.

I’ve had a long and lucky career, and I want to acknowledge all the creative people it’s been such an honor to work with: the playwrights; composers and lyricists; directors; choreographers; set, costume, and lighting designers; producers—and all the brave and gifted actors I got to share so many stages with.

Thanks to David Kuhn and Becky Sweren for taking my book proposal (thank you, Emily Loose) to Colin Dickerman, who was an excellent, smart, and patient guide.

Thanks to the fine Rebecca Paley, who was kind enough to join me in the writing and kept me on track, with my eye on the long view. Also at Flatiron Books, Publisher Bob Miller, Publicity Director Marlena Bittner, and Associate Editor James Melia, for his charming persistence! And thank you to Michelle McMillian for designing such a beautiful book.

I must call out on a personal level my longtime agent and most excellent friend, Gary Gersh.

Thanks, too, to my PR posse: Rick Miramontez, Molly Barnett, and Andy Snyder. And my private and personal posse: Nellie Johnson, Heather Girardi, Steve Chazaro, Steven Ferezy, and certainly not least, a slew of loving pals—lucky for me, too many to possibly mention here.

PHOTOGRAPHIC AND ILLUSTRATIVE CREDITS

PHOTOGRAPHIC INSERT

Cabaret
(1966) © Friedman-Abeles, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

George M!
(1969) © Friedman-Abeles, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

The Muppet Show
(1976) © The Jim Henson Company

With Rock Hudson in Rome (1961) © Leo Fuchs

With James Garner on the set of
Maverick
(1959) © Warner Bros. Television

With the cast of
The Normal Heart
(2010) © Bruce Glikas

With Jennifer Grey at the Tony Awards (2015) © Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

With Idina Menzel in
Wicked
(2003) © Joan Marcus

CHAPTER-OPENING IMAGES

Chapter 11: courtesy of Lord Snowdon

Epilogue: courtesy of William Obrano

THROUGHOUT

“Joel Grey in Cabaret” by Al Hirschfeld © Al Hirschfeld Foundation

All other photos courtesy of Joel Grey.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joel Grey
is a Tony, Golden Globe, and Oscar–winning actor and director. In his seven decades in entertainment, Joel has acted in more than a dozen Broadway productions, in over twenty films, and has made countless television appearances. Along with his work on the stage and screen, he is a renowned photographer. He lives in New York City. You can sign up for email updates
here
.

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