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Zev Buffman
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Zev Buffman
Zev Buffman (born Ze'ev Bufman) (October 11, 1930 – April 1, 2020) was a Broadway producer who served as president and CEO of Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. He produced more than 40 Broadway shows. He partnered with Elizabeth Taylor to present her in her Broadway debut, The Little Foxes. Buffman was also the co-founding general partner of the NBA champion basketball team the Miami Heat.
Buffman was born in Tel Aviv, Palestine, to Ukrainian Jewish parents. His initial involvement in the performing arts began in 1947, while in the 89th Commandos. At the age of 16, he debuted as a stand-up comic throughout Israel, entertaining troops in periods of cease fire during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Zev served from 1947-1950, and returned for the Six Day War as well as the Yom Kippur War. He came to the United States as a foreign exchange student in 1951, moved to Hollywood, California, and worked as an actor while attending college. His first role was playing an Arab guard in the film Flight to Tangier. His most memorable film work was a role in the Cecil B. DeMille classic The Ten Commandments.
In 1958, he produced the Arnold Schulman play A Hole in the Head in Los Angeles and also opened one of the first dinner theaters, Le Grand. His first Broadway show, Vintage 60, an original musical revue, was produced in partnership with Broadway's David Merrick, and played at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 1960, but was a flop. He also produced Pajama Tops which became a hit at Seattle World's Fair in 1962 and played Broadway in 1963.
By 1962, Buffman operated five theaters in Los Angeles. Pajama Tops went on tour to Miami, Florida and Buffman leased the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse for the 1962-63 season. In 1966, Buffman bought the Playhouse for $650,000 and renovated it. He was the president/CEO/owner until 1970 when he sold it to Eddie Bracken for $1 million. He also established the Coconut Grove Arts Festival.
In 1967, his Your Own Thing became the first off-Broadway musical to win the New York Drama Critics' Circle award for Best Musical. That year he started leasing the newly built Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale's first theater, for 23 years.
Paul Sills' Story Theatre won two Tony Awards in 1971 and he signed a contract with NBC and CTV Television Network in Canada to turn it into a television series.
He signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures as producer-special projects.[citation needed] With partner Hugh Hefner as co-producer, they delivered the first part-animation, part live-action film The Naked Ape in 1973, based on the best-selling book by Desmond Morris, but the film flopped and he abandoned filmmaking.
In 1974, he was involved in a pilot for ABC television, Fantasies Fulfilled, starring Walter Matthau, which later became the hit series Fantasy Island.
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Zev Buffman
Zev Buffman (born Ze'ev Bufman) (October 11, 1930 – April 1, 2020) was a Broadway producer who served as president and CEO of Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. He produced more than 40 Broadway shows. He partnered with Elizabeth Taylor to present her in her Broadway debut, The Little Foxes. Buffman was also the co-founding general partner of the NBA champion basketball team the Miami Heat.
Buffman was born in Tel Aviv, Palestine, to Ukrainian Jewish parents. His initial involvement in the performing arts began in 1947, while in the 89th Commandos. At the age of 16, he debuted as a stand-up comic throughout Israel, entertaining troops in periods of cease fire during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Zev served from 1947-1950, and returned for the Six Day War as well as the Yom Kippur War. He came to the United States as a foreign exchange student in 1951, moved to Hollywood, California, and worked as an actor while attending college. His first role was playing an Arab guard in the film Flight to Tangier. His most memorable film work was a role in the Cecil B. DeMille classic The Ten Commandments.
In 1958, he produced the Arnold Schulman play A Hole in the Head in Los Angeles and also opened one of the first dinner theaters, Le Grand. His first Broadway show, Vintage 60, an original musical revue, was produced in partnership with Broadway's David Merrick, and played at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 1960, but was a flop. He also produced Pajama Tops which became a hit at Seattle World's Fair in 1962 and played Broadway in 1963.
By 1962, Buffman operated five theaters in Los Angeles. Pajama Tops went on tour to Miami, Florida and Buffman leased the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse for the 1962-63 season. In 1966, Buffman bought the Playhouse for $650,000 and renovated it. He was the president/CEO/owner until 1970 when he sold it to Eddie Bracken for $1 million. He also established the Coconut Grove Arts Festival.
In 1967, his Your Own Thing became the first off-Broadway musical to win the New York Drama Critics' Circle award for Best Musical. That year he started leasing the newly built Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale's first theater, for 23 years.
Paul Sills' Story Theatre won two Tony Awards in 1971 and he signed a contract with NBC and CTV Television Network in Canada to turn it into a television series.
He signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures as producer-special projects.[citation needed] With partner Hugh Hefner as co-producer, they delivered the first part-animation, part live-action film The Naked Ape in 1973, based on the best-selling book by Desmond Morris, but the film flopped and he abandoned filmmaking.
In 1974, he was involved in a pilot for ABC television, Fantasies Fulfilled, starring Walter Matthau, which later became the hit series Fantasy Island.
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