Louis Nizer
Encyclopedia
Louis Nizer was a noted Jewish-American trial lawyer and senior partner of the law firm Phillips Nizer Benjamin Krim & Ballon. He represented many celebrities in a variety of cases, among them Quentin Reynolds
in his successful libel suit against columnist Westbrook Pegler
, and the broadcaster John Henry Faulk
against AWARE, a right-wing organization that had falsely labeled him a communist.
A graduate of Columbia College
and Columbia Law School
, he wrote several books, among them the best-selling "My Life In Court" in 1962, about many of his famous cases, which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He also wrote "The Implosion Conspiracy" in 1972, a study of the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
espionage case. He died at the age 92 in New York City, having continued to work at his firm until 10 days before his death.
His representation of Reynolds served as the basis for the Broadway play A Case of Libel, which starred Van Heflin
.
With Jack Valenti
, Nizer helped created the motion picture ratings system of the Motion Picture Association of America
, which he served as general counsel
.
After the assassination of John F. Kennedy
, he authored the foreword to the Warren Commission
report that investigated JFK's murder and the conspiracy theories that still surround it.
In addition to his legal work, Louis Nizer was an author, artist, lecturer, and advisor to some of the most powerful people in the worlds of politics, business, and entertainment. For a number of years, Nizer was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "highest-paid lawyer in the world". In addition to his success in the legal world, he was married to his wife Mildred for over 50 years. Over his life, Nizer granted significant grants and charity to many Jewish causes.
in the 1975 CBS made-for-television film, Fear on Trial, co-starring William Devane
as the blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk
.
Both on stage and on television, Van Heflin
portrayed Robert Sloane, a fictionalized version of Nizer, in the play A Case of Libel, which dramatized the Quentin Reynolds - Westbrook Pegler trial.
The play was first televised on commercial television, but a new production shown on cable television
in the 1980s, and later PBS, starred Edward Asner as Sloane and Daniel J. Travanti
as Boyd Bendix, who was based on conservative columnist Westbrook Pegler
.
Quentin Reynolds
Quentin James Reynolds was a journalist and World War II war correspondent.As associate editor at Collier's Weekly from 1933 to 1945, Reynolds averaged twenty articles a year...
in his successful libel suit against columnist Westbrook Pegler
Westbrook Pegler
Francis James Westbrook Pegler was an American journalist and writer. He was a popular columnist in the 1930s and 1940s famed for his opposition to the New Deal and labor unions. Pegler criticized every president from Herbert Hoover to FDR to Harry Truman to John F. Kennedy...
, and the broadcaster John Henry Faulk
John Henry Faulk
John Henry Faulk from Austin, Texas was a storyteller and radio show host. His successful lawsuit against blacklisters of the entertainment industry helped to bring an end to the Hollywood blacklist.-Early life:...
against AWARE, a right-wing organization that had falsely labeled him a communist.
A graduate of Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
and Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
, he wrote several books, among them the best-selling "My Life In Court" in 1962, about many of his famous cases, which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He also wrote "The Implosion Conspiracy" in 1972, a study of the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
espionage case. He died at the age 92 in New York City, having continued to work at his firm until 10 days before his death.
His representation of Reynolds served as the basis for the Broadway play A Case of Libel, which starred Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
.
With Jack Valenti
Jack Valenti
Jack Joseph Valenti was a long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of America. During his 38-year tenure in the MPAA, he created the MPAA film rating system, and he was generally regarded as one of the most influential pro-copyright lobbyists in the world...
, Nizer helped created the motion picture ratings system of the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
, which he served as general counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
.
After the assassination of John F. Kennedy
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
, he authored the foreword to the Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
report that investigated JFK's murder and the conspiracy theories that still surround it.
In addition to his legal work, Louis Nizer was an author, artist, lecturer, and advisor to some of the most powerful people in the worlds of politics, business, and entertainment. For a number of years, Nizer was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "highest-paid lawyer in the world". In addition to his success in the legal world, he was married to his wife Mildred for over 50 years. Over his life, Nizer granted significant grants and charity to many Jewish causes.
Film, television, and stage portrayals
Nizer was portrayed by George C. ScottGeorge C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
in the 1975 CBS made-for-television film, Fear on Trial, co-starring William Devane
William Devane
William Joseph Devane is an American film, television and theater actor.-Life and career:Devane was born in Albany, New York in 1937 or 1939 , the son of Joseph Devane, who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
as the blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk
John Henry Faulk
John Henry Faulk from Austin, Texas was a storyteller and radio show host. His successful lawsuit against blacklisters of the entertainment industry helped to bring an end to the Hollywood blacklist.-Early life:...
.
Both on stage and on television, Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
portrayed Robert Sloane, a fictionalized version of Nizer, in the play A Case of Libel, which dramatized the Quentin Reynolds - Westbrook Pegler trial.
The play was first televised on commercial television, but a new production shown on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
in the 1980s, and later PBS, starred Edward Asner as Sloane and Daniel J. Travanti
Daniel J. Travanti
Danielo Giovanni "Daniel J." Travanti is an American actor best known for his starring role as Captain Frank Furillo in the 1980s television drama Hill Street Blues.-Biography:...
as Boyd Bendix, who was based on conservative columnist Westbrook Pegler
Westbrook Pegler
Francis James Westbrook Pegler was an American journalist and writer. He was a popular columnist in the 1930s and 1940s famed for his opposition to the New Deal and labor unions. Pegler criticized every president from Herbert Hoover to FDR to Harry Truman to John F. Kennedy...
.
Works
- "My Life in Court," 1962
- "The Jury Returns," 1966
- "The Implosion Conspiracy," 1972
- "Reflections Without Mirrors," 1978
- "Catspaw," (Carroll & Graf 1992)
- "New Courts of Industry: Self-Regulation Under the Motion Picture Code, with an Analysis of the Code" (1935, Longacre Press)
- "Thinking on Your Feet" (1940)
- "What to Do With Germany" (1944, US Army) PDF
- "Between You and Me" (1948)
External links
- Louis Nizer, Lawyer to the Famous, Dies at 92 - By ERIC PACE, Published: Friday, November 11, 1994 NYTimes.com