Leon Katz

Leon Katz, 97, a playwright, dramaturg and former visiting professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), died Jan. 23 at his home in Encino from complications due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Katz, who taught at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television from 1992-2002, was the author of many original plays and adaptations produced around the world, including “The Three Cuckolds”; “Sonya”; “Dracula: Sabbat, Son of Arlecchino”; “GBS in Love”; “Beds”; “Pinocchio”; “Finnegan’s Wake”; and the opera, “The Making of Americans,” based on writer Gertrude Stein’s book of the same name.

Katz was also known for his interviews with Stein’s life partner Alice B. Toklas in 1952 and 1953. They discussed the material found in Stein’s notebooks, written during the time she was composing “The Making of Americans.” According to reports, Katz was working on a book, “The Notebooks of Gertrude Stein,” up until his death.

Over the years, in addition to UCLA TFT, Katz also taught at many other colleges and universities, including Yale University, where he was professor emeritus; Cornell, Stanford and Columbia universities; and Vassar College.

Katz was a New York City native. He grew up in the Bronx and worked at his family’s grocery store when he was a child. He met Sadell Kasmere, his future wife, when they were in elementary school, and later served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he earned his doctorate degree from Columbia University.

Katz is survived by two sons, Elia of Los Angeles and Frederick of New York, and three nephews.

Image and Obituary Credits: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/dept/faculty/in-memoriam:-leon-katz-playwright-and-visiting-professor-at-ucla-tft