Name H. Fitelson | ||
H. William Fitelson (January 21, 1905 – May 19, 1994) was an entertainment lawyer with Fitelson & Mayers, managing director of the Theatre Guild, and a founding board member of the Actors Studio. He also served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union.
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Career
Fitelson was born in New York, NY, in on January 21, 1905. He graduated from New York Law School in 1927.
He took up practice of entertainment industry law in New York with clients in theater and film, including Broadway personalities and investors. Clients included Joshua Logan and Elia Kazan and Gypsy Rose Lee and Ethel Merman. Author James Baldwin called him "a feisty Napoleon of the theater."
"While practicing law in the firm of Fitelson and Mayers, Fitelson advocated for many causes." He served as general counsel and managing director of radio and television programming for the Theatre Guild. He was a member of the original board of directors of the Actors Studio upon formation in 1948. He was a sponsor of the National Lawyers Guild.
From the 1940s through the 1960s, he was involved in the production of musicals and dramas, as well as motion pictures.
He retired from Fitelson & Mayers (also known as Fitelson, Mayers & London) in the mid-1980s.
Personal life and death
Fitelson was married to Anita. They had two daughters, Margaret Fitelson and Robin Fitelson, and a son, Dr. David Fitelson.
His correspondence extended to New York intellectuals such as philosopher Sidney Hook and art historian Meyer Schapiro.
He died at home in New York City at age 89 of obstructive cardiopulmonary disease.