Herman J. Mankiewicz

Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (November 7, 1897 – March 5, 1953) was an American screenwriter, journalist, playwright, and film producer. Mankiewicz gained prominence in Hollywood after transitioning from New York journalism, where he contributed to publications such as The New York Times and Vanity Fair. He became one of the highest-paid screenwriters in the industry during the 1930s, producing Marx Brothers comedies including Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932), and Duck Soup (1933), and scripting films like Dinner at Eight (1933). His most enduring achievement came from co-writing the screenplay for Citizen Kane (1941) with Orson Welles, a collaboration that secured the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay despite ongoing debates over the relative contributions of each man. Mankiewicz received another Oscar nomination for The Pride of the Yankees (1942) and continued working on projects amid personal struggles with alcoholism that ultimately curtailed his later productivity.

Herman Jacob Mankiewicz was born on November 7, 1897, in New York City, to German-Jewish immigrants Franz Mankiewicz and Johanna (née Blumenau). His father, born in Berlin on November 30, 1872, emigrated to the United States from Hamburg in 1892 at age 20, initially supporting himself through various means before establishing a career as a teacher of modern languages. The family soon relocated to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where Franz worked in education and the household emphasized intellectual pursuits amid modest circumstances.