Claudia Weill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claudia Weill
Weill in 2015
Born	1947 (age 77–78) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Film, television and theatre director, film instructor
Spouse(s)	Walter S. Teller
Children	2

Claudia Weill is an American film director. She is well-known for her movie Girlfriends (1978). This film starred Melanie Mayron, Christopher Guest, Bob Balaban, and Eli Wallach. Girlfriends was made independently and later sold to Warner Brothers. It won many awards at film festivals like Cannes, Filmex, and Sundance.

In 2019, the Library of Congress chose Girlfriends for the National Film Registry. This means it is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Weill also directed It's My Turn (1980) for Columbia Pictures. This movie featured Jill Clayburgh, Michael Douglas, and Charles Grodin. For this film, she won the Donatello award, which is like an International Oscar for best new director.

Before these movies, Claudia Weill worked on 30 films for Sesame Street. She also worked as a camerawoman and made many documentaries. One famous documentary was The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir. This film was about the first group of women to visit China in 1973, led by Shirley MacLaine. It was nominated for an Academy Award.

Early Life and Education

Claudia Weill was born in New York City in 1947. Her family was Jewish.

She went to Harvard University and graduated in 1969.

Career Highlights

In 1986, Weill moved to Los Angeles. There, she started directing episodes for popular TV shows. Some of these included The Twilight Zone, Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Chicago Hope. More recently, she directed an episode of Girls for HBO.

Directing for the Stage

Claudia Weill is also a successful theater director. She has directed plays at famous places like the Public Theater in New York. She won the Drama Desk's Best Director Award in 1984. This was for the play Found a Peanut.

She has directed many other plays. These include The Belle of Belfast and Twelfth Night. She also directed the West Coast premiere of Doubt by John Patrick Shanley.

Challenges in Film Directing

After the success of Girlfriends, Columbia Pictures hired Weill to direct It's My Turn in 1980. She was a female director leading an all-male crew. She faced challenges in expressing her creative vision for the film. After this experience, she focused on directing other types of projects instead of more feature films.

Teaching and Mentoring

Weill has shared her knowledge by teaching directing. She has taught at many well-known schools. These include Harvard, Juilliard, and the USC Graduate School of Cinema Studies. She also helps new playwrights and directors.

She has served as a judge for film festivals. She also works on the Directors' Executive Committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She was one of the first women to join this important committee in 1980.

In 1979, Claudia Weill was featured on a Supersisters trading card. These cards celebrated important women.

Filmography

Films Directed

Here is a list of some films Claudia Weill directed:

• 1970 This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant Graham
• 1975 The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
• 1978 Girlfriends
• 1980 It's My Turn
• 1986 Johnny Bull (TV movie)
• 1988 Giving Up the Ghost (TV movie)
• 1991 Face of a Stranger (TV movie)
• 1992 A Child Lost Forever (TV movie)
• 1996 Critical Choices (TV movie)
• 2013 He's Way More Famous Than You (as herself)

Personal Life

Claudia Weill married Walter S. Teller in 1985. They have two sons, Sam Teller and Eli Teller.