Gerald was the director of The Hollywood Center Theater on Las Palmas Avenue just south of Sunset near the famous Strip.  Gerald Gordon has produced, directed, choreographed, acted, and taught in New York and Los Angeles - and now, in Las Vegas. To quote the dean of the Los Angeles drama critics, the late Charles Faber, "Gerald Gordon is still a young man, and has been a highly respected Los Angeles producer and director for many years”.

A native of Ithaca, New York, Mr. Gordon was graduated from Cornell University and has been in show business for over forty-five years. As a very small child, he appeared as an actor with his first Equity summer theatre. He has produced and/or directed some 200 stage shows as well as having directed, taught or worked with many of today's top stars, including Adrien Brody (who in 2003 won the Best Acting Academy Award for his starring role in THE PIANIST), Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Ruth Warrick, Janis Paige, Ralph Bellamy, Debbie Reynolds, Paul LeMat, Neile Adams McQueen, Jan Peerce, Ann B. Davis, Richard and Robert Sherman (two Oscars for the film MARY POPPINS), Zero Mostel, Estelle Winwood, Brian Regan, Joseph, Sam and Ben Bottoms, Andy Lauer (running role on CAROLINE IN THE CITY), Christopher Titus (starred in his own TV show for three seasons - TITUS), Mark Curry (starred in his own TV show for a number of seasons HANGING WITH MR. COOPER), Bruce McGill who seems to be in every movie out of Hollywood beginning with his memorable role in the original ANIMAL HOUSE and many others; Joe Flanigan, another former student, is the star of the new Sci-Fi series, STARGATE: ATLANTIS. Gordon currently has about a dozen students starring on various prime time episodics or on day time soap operas. Another successful former student is GREG GRUNBERG, one of the stars of the hit TV show HEROES. As director and producer, his production of THE FANTASTICKS still holds the record for the longest running musical in the history of Los Angeles theatre, running nearly five years. (PHANTOM came close but didn't pass it.)

As an actor, during the 50s and 60s, Mr. Gordon appeared on almost every major television show originating from both coasts. His credits include running roles on THE EDGE OF NIGHT and AS THE WORLD TURNS as well as roles on most of the major TV shows of the day. In his Hollywood Center Theatre, he was the first person allowed to showcase professional talent and has long been considered the father of the Equity Waiver Theatre movement in Los Angeles which is now so prevalent. In 1963, Mr. Gordon founded and became president of the Los Angeles Youth Theatre, Inc. which serves as a testing ground for new and young talent. Many stars and working actors seen today were launched by their work with Mr. Gordon and his Youth Theatre. As a teacher, he has served as guest director at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, guest lecturer at Immaculate Heart College and USC and has been a popular and sought-after visiting teacher in many of the public and private schools. For a fourteen year period, he was managing artistic director for one of L. A. 's oldest legitimate theatres, the HOLLYWOOD CENTER THEATRE, and was resident artistic director for the famed MAYFAIR MUSIC HALL in Santa Monica. He has also worked in various production capacities on TV shows for Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Eddie Fisher, Groucho Marx, Nat King Cole, and Walter Winchell to name a few.

Cat Cohen (back in his pre-Cat days when he still called David) was the piano accompanist and later musical director for Gordon in the Hollywood Center Theater production of “The Fantastics” for two years.  Cat was still a music student at UCLA when he worked for Gordon.   Cohen would take his meager salary, which was paid in cash nightly, and spend it immediately to see top name performers at local nightclubs on the Sunset Strip such as The Whisky-A-Go-Go and at the folk night club The Ash Grove on Melrose.   Cat also worked for Gordon as an accompanist for his many talent showcases at the theater which launched several semi-famous and quite infamous talents that appeared on tv shows such as the Steve Allen Show.  A standout during this period was the incredibly untalented vocalist Mrs. Miller who thought she was the greatest thing to hit television since sliced bread, but really was quite far from her delusion.  It was Gordon who original saw her potential as a campy phenom.

You can find out more about Gerald Gordon at www.geraldgordon.com and www.geraldgordon.com/bio.txt.