Educated at New York University and Columbia University, Hellman was married to Arthur Kober in 1925, although the couple spent much time apart. Hellman went to Europe in 1929 and settled in Bonn to continue her studies. Returning to America in 1930, she worked as a reader for MGM in Hollywood. There she met many important and influential people including Dashiell Hammett, which led to her divorce of Kober in 1932. In 1934, her drama, The Children's Hour, premiered on Broadway and ran for 691 performances. She joined the League of American Writers in 1935, which members included Hammett and Arthur Miller. In 1937, she spent some time in Spain defending the Republic. She was a member of the Communist Party from 1938 to 1940. In 1940, her play, The Little Foxes opened on Broadway and ran for 410 performances. In 1942, she received an Academy Award nomination for the film version of the play. Throughout the 1940s, Hellman continued to support Communist causes. In 1952, she was called to testify before the HUAC in which she refused to take a stance against Communism, nor to testify against others. Hellman's success on the stage continued during the 1960s and 1970s. She suffered a heart attack near her home in Martha's Vineyard and died in 1984. Her many works include Days to Come (1936), Dead End (1937), Watch on the Rhine (1941), The North Star (1943), The Searching Wind (1944), Another Part of the Forest (1946), The Autumn Garden (1951), The Lark (1955), Toys in the Attic (1960), The Chase (1965), An Unfinished Woman: A Memoir (1969), Scoundrel Time (1976) and Maybe: A Story (1980). |
