Howard "Howie" Jeffrey (December 6, 1934 - November 2, 1988)

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Raised in Los Angeles, where he studied at Eugene Loring's American School of Dance, Howard Jeffrey (6 December 1934, Philadelphia - 2 November 1988, Los Angeles, age 53) danced with American Ballet Theatre and the Ballet Alicia Alonso before assisting Jerome Robbins on the stage and film versions of West Side Story in the 1950s and '60s.

Jeffrey also danced with Robbins's Ballets: USA and assisted Robbins with several other productions. On his own he was the choreographer for Broadway's Georgy Girl (1970) and the films On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971).

Jeffrey was an assistant film producer for The Turning Point and went on to produce other films and television programs.

Mart Crowley's play Boys in the Band was based on Jeffrey's birthday party. Two characters are modeled after Jeffrey and his roommate Garrett Lewis.


AIDS Quilt

Source: http://www.artistswithaids.org/artforms/dance/catalogue/jeffrey.html

Further Readings:

The Boys in the Band: 40th Anniversary Edition by Mart Crowley
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books; 40 Anv edition (April 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593500750
ISBN-13: 978-1593500757
Amazon: The Boys in the Band: 40th Anniversary Edition

“Boys can still hold its own . . . [Mart] Crowley’s point is about how the humor is shaped and defined by the pain.”—The New York Times

The Boys in the Band was the first commercially successful play to reveal gay life to mainstream America. Alyson is proud to release a special fortieth anniversary edition of the play, which includes an original preface by acclaimed writer Tony Kushner (Angels in America), along with previously unpublished photographs of Mart Crowley and the cast of the play/film.

Mart Crowley’s other plays include the autobiographical A Breeze from the Gulf (1973) and The Men from the Boys (2002).