# Gene Persson

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{{short description|American film director}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Gene Persson
| image              = 
| imagesize          = 
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = Eugene Clair Persson
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1934|01|12}}
| birth_place        = [Long Beach, California](/source/Long_Beach%2C_California), U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2008|6|6|1934|01|12|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [New York City](/source/New_York_City), U.S.
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = Actor, producer
| years_active       = 1946–1961
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[Shirley Knight](/source/Shirley_Knight)|1959|1969|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Ruby Persson<br>|1972}}
}}
| children           = 3; including [Kaitlin Hopkins](/source/Kaitlin_Hopkins)
}}

'''Eugene Clair "Gene" Persson''' (January 12, 1934 – June 6, 2008) was an American actor, theatrical and film producer,<ref name=var>{{cite news |title=Gene Persson dies at 74 |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987838.html?categoryId=25&cs=1|work=[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))  |publisher=Variety |date=June 20, 2008 |access-date=July 7, 2008}}</ref> best known for his work as the co-producer and co-creator of the original 1967 production of the [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theater) [musical comedy](/source/musical_comedy), ''[You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown](/source/You're_a_Good_Man%2C_Charlie_Brown)'', as well as the show's 1999 [Broadway revival](/source/Broadway_revival), which won two [Tony Award](/source/Tony_Award)s.<ref name=var/>

== Early life and career ==
Gene Persson was born in [Long Beach, California](/source/Long_Beach%2C_California) the son of Oscar Persson and Leah Krascoff. He began his career in entertainment as a child actor on radio, television and film,<ref name=var/> including one of the kids in ''[Ma and Pa Kettle](/source/Ma_and_Pa_Kettle_(film))'' (1949) and two of its followups. He returned to acting after having served in the [United States military](/source/United_States_military) during the [Korean War](/source/Korean_War), appearing in [B movie](/source/B_movie)s, including [Paramount Pictures](/source/Paramount_Pictures)' ''[The Party Crashers](/source/The_Party_Crashers)'' (1958), as well as ''[Earth vs. the Spider](/source/Earth_vs._the_Spider)'' (1958) and ''[Bloodlust!](/source/Bloodlust!)'' (1961).<ref name=var/>

== Producer ==
Persson married actress [Shirley Knight](/source/Shirley_Knight) in 1959.<ref name=var/> He soon began switching his career focus from acting to producing around the time of his marriage.<ref name=var/> In 1964 their daughter Kaitlin was born, He began producing plays in New York City and Los Angeles in which Knight held a starring position.<ref name=var/> Their joint productions included early plays by [LeRoi Jones](/source/LeRoi_Jones), who is also known as [Amiri Baraka](/source/Amiri_Baraka), such as ''The Slave'', ''The Toilet'' and ''[Dutchman](/source/Dutchman_(play))''.<ref name=var/> Their Broadway plays later included [Stanley Mann](/source/Stanley_Mann)'s ''Room''.<ref name=var/> He also produced a controversial play entitled ''[The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald](/source/The_Trial_of_Lee_Harvey_Oswald_(play))'' on Broadway in 1967.<ref name=var/>

On screen, Persson produced ''[Dutchman](/source/Dutchman_(play))'' with [Anthony Harvey](/source/Anthony_Harvey), who was a first time director at the time of production.<ref name=var/> The film, which starred Shirley Knight and [Al Freeman Jr.](/source/Al_Freeman_Jr.), is still screened at film festivals and museums today, according to ''[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))''.

Knight and Persson later divorced in 1969, but remained lifelong personal and professional friends.<ref name=var/> Their daughter was raised by Knight's second husband, the English writer [John Hopkins](/source/John_Hopkins_(screenwriter)).

Persson moved to [London](/source/London) in 1969.<ref name=var/> There he produced a total of five plays for British playwright [Peter Barnes](/source/Peter_Barnes_(playwright)), including ''[The Ruling Class](/source/The_Ruling_Class_(play))''.<ref name=var/> He later collaborated with [Tennessee Williams](/source/Tennessee_Williams) during the 1970s to produce the British revival of ''[The Glass Menagerie](/source/The_Glass_Menagerie)'' as well as ''[The Red Devil Battery Sign](/source/The_Red_Devil_Battery_Sign)'', both of which were produced in the United Kingdom.<ref name=var/> Persson and Williams also teamed up to bring ''[An Evening with Tennessee Williams](/source/An_Evening_with_Tennessee_Williams)'' and ''[This Is](/source/This_Is_(An_Entertainment))'' to San Francisco.<ref name=var/>

In 1972 he married Ruby Persson and they had two sons: Lukas and Markus.

=== Charlie Brown productions ===

Persson and [Arthur Whitelaw](/source/Arthur_Whitelaw) co-produced and co-created ''[You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown](/source/You're_a_Good_Man%2C_Charlie_Brown)'' in 1967.<ref name=var/> The musical was based on the Peanuts characters created by cartoonist [Charles M. Schulz](/source/Charles_M._Schulz). The book in which they and their creative team adapted the musical was by John Gordon, which was a pseudonym.<ref name=var/> According to [Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine)), Persson's musical "has gone on to be one of the most produced musicals ever."<ref name=var/> Persson later returned as the producer of the 1999 Broadway revival of ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''.<ref name=var/> The show earned two [Tony Awards](/source/Tony_Awards) in 1999.

Persson also produced the 1973 television special of the original musical, ''[You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown](/source/You're_a_Good_Man%2C_Charlie_Brown_(TV_special))'' for the [Hallmark Hall of Fame](/source/Hallmark_Hall_of_Fame).<ref name=var/> Persson continued to produce stage productions for much of the next decade.<ref name=var/> Among these included the Peanuts musical comedy ''[Snoopy!!! The Musical](/source/Snoopy!!!_The_Musical)'', which he both directed and produced.<ref name=var/>

Persson was working on a musical stage version of the 1965 television holiday classic, ''[A Charlie Brown Christmas](/source/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas)'', at the time of his death in 2008.<ref name=var/>

== Death ==
Gene Persson died of a heart attack in [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan) on June 6, 2008, at the age of 74.<ref name=var/> He was survived by his wife of 36 years, actress and artist Ruby Persson, and his three children, [Kaitlin Hopkins](/source/Kaitlin_Hopkins), an actress; Lukas Persson, a filmmaker and writer; and Markus Persson, a musician.<ref name=var/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|id=0675580|name=Eugene Persson}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2008/06/21/Theater_producer_Persson_dead_at_74/UPI-90831214075812/ UPI: Theater producer Persson dead at 74]
* [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/118913.html Gene Persson, Producer of Dutchman and Charlie Brown, Dies at 74]
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/movies/21persson.html New York Times: Gene Persson, Film and Theater Producer, Dies at 74 ]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persson, Gene}}
Category:1934 births
Category:2008 deaths
Category:American theatre managers and producers
Category:Film producers from California
Category:Film directors from California
Category:American people of Swedish descent
Category:Male actors from Long Beach, California
Category:American male child actors

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gene Persson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Persson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Persson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.