George Cohan was an
Actor,
playwright, and a
director. Born July 3, 1878 in
Providence, Rhode Island. Cohan wrote many
patriotic songs, including "
You're a Grand Old Flag," "
Give My Regards to Broadway," and "
Over There." He began his career in
vaudeville as a child with his family, one of
The Four Cohans.
His first
Broadway production was
The Governor's Son (1901); his first successful show was
Little Johnny Jones (1904). Other shows include
Forty-five Minutes from Broadway (1906),
Broadway Jones (1912),
Hello, Broadway (1914), and
The Song and Dance Man (1923). He also adapted other people's works for the stage, including the
mystery novel
Seven Keys to Baldpate.
Among his successful appearances as an actor, he starred in
Eugene O'Neill's
Ah, Wilderness! (1934) and as the
president in
I'd Rather Be Right (1937). Towards the end of his career he wrote an
autobiography,
Twenty Years on Broadway (1925), and his career inspired the movie
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), starring
James Cagney.