About Abraham Polonsky
Abraham Lincoln Polonsky (December 5, 1910 – October 26, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, essayist and novelist. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Body and Soul (1947). The following year, he wrote and directed Force of Evil (1948), which was later hailed by Martin Scorsese and others as one of the finest achievements of American film noir. However, it was to be Polonsky's last credited film for more than twenty years. In April 1951, he refused to cooperate or "name names" to the House Un-American Activities Committee and was blacklisted by the movie studios. == Early life == Abraham Polonsky was born in New York City, the eldest son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Henry and Rebecca (née Rosoff). Polonsky would later say, "I'm the son of a pharmacist, il dottore, from a Sicilian neighborhood on the East Side where we lived after the Bronx." He attended DeWitt Clinton High School with classmates that included future film composer Bernard Herrmann. In 1928, he entered City College of New York (CCNY). While there, he became entranced with the writings of Marcel Proust. Polonsky's initial literary efforts show the influence of the French author.
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