Jerry Frankel
Decorated Career in Theatre and Business
The late Jerry Frankel was a renowned Broadway producer, thoroughbred breeder, and entrepreneur. Following more than three decades in business as the owner of a leading manufacturer of women’s apparel, he co-produced his first Broadway show, Jekyll & Hyde, alongside Jeffrey Richards in 1997. Mr. Frankel went on to produce dozens of Broadway plays and musicals, many of which won Tony Awards. These include Death of a Salesman (1999), Glengarry Glen Ross (2005), August: Osage County (2007), and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (2011).
Best Direction of a Musical.
Before his death at the age of 88 in 2018, Jerry Frankel produced Come from Away (2017), a musical that takes place in the small Canadian town of Gander a week after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The musical, based on the true story of how the townspeople came together to support nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers, opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre and received seven Tony Award nominations. It won for Best Direction of a Musical.
Sourced from Around the Globe
Jerry Frankel was involved in thoroughbred racing for several decades and was partners with his brother, Ronald, on many prized horses, including Dayatthespa, which sold for $50,000 in 2010 and went on to win more than $2.2 million in prize money at events such as the Yaddo Handicap at Saratoga Race Course and First Lady Stakes at Keeneland. Mr. Frankel often named horses after the titles of his Broadway productions or the names of songs and actors associated with those plays.
As a young man, Mr. Frankel began his career working for his father’s garment manufacturing business and later launched his own company, Jerrell, Inc., in 1964. He led the business to become one of the most prominent manufacturers of women’s apparel in the US and sold popular labels such as Stonebridge and Selena and Salcedo. He earned a bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of Illinois.
