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Neal Gabler

ニール・ゲイブラー

Niiru Geiburaa

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950 （Chicago, Illinois, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Chicago (birthplace) → Ann Arbor (University of Michigan) → Los Angeles (USC) → Southampton (Stony Brook Southampton)

Career

Occupations
journalist, writer, film critic, broadcaster, academic
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
University of Michigan (faculty), Pennsylvania State University (faculty), Shorenstein Center, Harvard University (Research Fellow), USC Annenberg / Norman Lear Center (Senior Fellow), Stony Brook Southampton (writing faculty)

Education

Lane Technical College Prep High School
Degree: High school diploma
Period: 〜1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: United States
Inducted into the National Honor Society
University of Michigan
Film and American Culture
Degree: Summa cum laude、上級学位（映画とアメリカ文化）
Country: United States
Graduated summa cum laude; holds advanced degrees in film and American culture

Awards

Outstanding Teaching Award
1978
Organization: University of Michigan
Result: 受賞
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History
1989
Work: An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood
Category: 歴史
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
Prix Littéraire (France)
Category: 外国映画・テレビ関連書籍（フランス語）
Result: 受賞
National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography)
1995
Work: Winchell
Category: 伝記（ファイナリスト）
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: ファイナリスト
Time Magazine Nonfiction Book of the Year
1995
Work: Winchell
Organization: Time Magazine
Result: 選定
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship
2005
Organization: Guggenheim Foundation
Result: 受賞
USA Today Biography of the Year
2007
Work: Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination
Organization: USA Today
Result: 受賞
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography)
2007
Work: Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination
Category: 伝記
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
Kraszna-Krausz Award (Runner-Up)
Result: 準優勝
Emmy Award (Best Short-Form Writing)
2009
Category: 短編ライティング
Organization: Emmy Awards
Result: 受賞
Shorenstein Fellowship
2011
Organization: Harvard Shorenstein Center
Result: 受賞
Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship
2013
Organization: Washington College
Result: 受賞
Tannenbaum Lecturer
Organization: Emory University
Result: 招聘

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood

1988 history / film history

A historical study of the rise of Hollywood and the role Jewish entrepreneurs and producers played in its formation.

immigration and industryformation of the film industryculture and entrepreneurship

Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity

1994 biography / media studies

A biography of Walter Winchell that explores the relationship between gossip, media power, and celebrity culture.

media and powergossip culturecelebrity

Life: the Movie – How Entertainment Conquered Reality

1998 media theory / cultural criticism

Cultural criticism on how entertainment has come to shape perceptions of reality and everyday life.

entertainment and realitycultural representationmedia influence

Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination

2006 biography / cultural history

A comprehensive biography of Walt Disney examining his life, work, and the shaping of American popular imagination.

biographypopular culturecorporate creativity

Barbra Streisand: Redefining Beauty, Femininity, and Power

2016 biography / cultural studies

Examines Barbra Streisand's career to discuss evolving standards of beauty, femininity, and power.

gendercelebrityrepresentation

Catching the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour 1932–1975

2020 political biography / history

A political biography examining Edward Kennedy's life and the development of liberal politics in the U.S.

political historyliberalismbiography

Against the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Rise of Conservatism, 1976–2009

2022 political biography / history

A continuation examining the rise of conservatism from 1976–2009 and Edward Kennedy's political trajectory.

political historyconservatismbiography

Bibliography

  • An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood
  • Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity
  • Life: the Movie – How Entertainment Conquered Reality
  • Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination
  • Barbra Streisand: Redefining Beauty, Femininity, and Power
  • Catching the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour 1932–1975
  • Against the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Rise of Conservatism, 1976–2009

Adaptations

  • Sneak Previews (TV appearances/hosting)
  • Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul (documentary, 1993)
  • Walter Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity (1995)
  • Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (2004)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
detail-oriented, source-based proseclear argumentation crossing cultural criticism and biographyaccessible nonfiction style
Recurring Motifs
media and powerformation of celebrity culturemassification of American culture

Legacy

Neal Gabler is an influential nonfiction writer in film history, media culture, and biography, authoring several important works on Hollywood and media criticism. His contributions are recognized in both academia and popular culture.

Quotes

  • I'm a great believer both politically and aesthetically in pluralism. There ought to be movies for everybody.
    Source: Comics Interview (1988 interview) (1988)

Trivia

  • An excerpt from Life the Movie was used on the AP English Language exam (citation needed).
  • Hosted/appeared on PBS's Sneak Previews from 1982 to 1985.
  • Has taught at multiple universities and been affiliated with the Shorenstein Center and USC Norman Lear Center.