Tony Award-winning American playwright and lyricist Moss Hart was born on October 24, 1904, in New York City to a poor Jewish family and raised in a "drab tenement" on 107th Street in the Bronx. He was educated in the city's public school system and showcased his writing talent at an early age, penning his first play at the age of 12. Hart would later stage his plays at the local Young Men's Hebrew Association, demonstrating his passion for the craft.
As he grew older, Hart joined the Thalian Players, a little-theatre group, which won a citywide little-theatre competition sponsored by the Belasco theater organization. He worked for a clothing retailer, where he would write and direct the annual company shows. Hart's talent for direction and playwriting led him to collaborate with various little-theater groups in the New York and New Jersey area, and he even found work as the social director at summer camps in rural Pennsylvania and Vermont, where he wrote and staged plays for the campers.
Hart's professional playwriting career began in the late 1920s with the premiere of "The Hold-Up Man" in Chicago, although it was a commercial failure. However, his 1930 play "Once in a Lifetime" was a major hit, earning him a fortune and sparking a long-term collaboration with writer George S. Kaufman. The duo went on to create a string of successful plays, ranging from wild farces to dark, serious dramas, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy "You Can't Take It With You" in 1937.
In addition to his work with Kaufman, Hart also worked independently, collaborating with composer Kurt Weill on the 1941 musical "Lady in the Dark," which was written specifically for Gertrude Lawrence. He also directed several stage productions, including "Camelot" and "My Fair Lady," for which he won a Tony Award. Hart's screenplay for the 1954 film "A Star Is Born" showcased his versatility as a writer.
Throughout his life, Hart was married to actress Kitty Carlisle from 1946 until his death from a heart attack in Palm Springs, California, in 1961. His autobiography, "Act One," was adapted into a film in 1963.
