David Belasco

David Belasco (1859-1931), American playwright, theatrical producer, and manager, one of the first American producers to unify all elements of a theatrical production under the supervision of one person. Born in San Francisco, California, Belasco worked there as an actor, writer, and stage manager from 1874 to 1882. He then went to New York City, where he continued writing and working in theatrical management. In 1907 Belasco acquired his own theater, the Stuyvesant, renamed the Belasco in 1910.

Belasco permanently influenced American production techniques through his insistence on natural styles of acting, elaborate theater facilities, and, above all, minutely realistic stage settings and properties. He demanded absolute authenticity in his stage settings. For example, for a 1912 production of The Governor's Lady in New York, he purchased items from Child's Restaurant, a popular New York chain, to create an exact replica of the restaurant for the stage. Belasco's direction helped develop a number of popular actors.

A prolific writer, Belasco wrote, adapted, and collaborated on many plays. Among those that contributed to his popularity as a dramatist were The Girl I Left Behind Me (1893), Heart of Maryland (1895), Zaza (1899), and Madame Butterfly (1900).