Bernard Weinraub
Quick Facts
Biography
Bernard Weinraub (born December 19, 1937) is an American journalist and playwright.
Early life
Bernard Weinraub was born in 1937 in New York City. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. He graduated from the City University of New York (CUNY) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He worked as a journalist in Korea during the Vietnam War.
Journalism
He worked as a reporter for The New York Times. He started as a courier in his twenties, eventually working as a correspondent in Saigon, Belfast, New Delhi and London. From 1991 to 2004, he wrote articles about the film industry. In 2003, he admitted to committing plagiarism. He apologized, explaining, "It was stupidity."
He resigned in 2005, publishing a scathing article about Hollywood, including personal attacks against film executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Ovitz. The article also highlighted the huge wealth gap between journalists and actors in Hollywood. It went on to suggest that actors and producers were out of touch with reality, and that they were hypocritical about climate change. Meanwhile, he was replaced by David Halbfinger.
Theatre
As a playwright, he published his first play, The Accomplices, in 2007. It talked about the refusal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration to admit more Jews during World War II despite their persecution and genocide in Nazi Germany. The play was performed both in New York and Los Angeles. It was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. However, it received a bad review from The New York Times.
His second play, out in 2014, was Above the Fold. Based on the Duke lacrosse case, it shows the struggles of an African American journalist who realizes the scandal is phony while covering it. It premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California. It was directed by Steven Robman and the lead actress was Taraji P. Henson. The play received a bad review from The Los Angeles Times.
Personal life
He has been married twice. He has two children from his first marriage. He met Amy Pascal, a movie executive, at The Peninsula Beverly Hills in 1996; they got married in 1997. They have a son. They reside in Brentwood, a Western suburb of Los Angeles, California.