Roman Polanski, who wrote and directed the film, was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance. It was made into a film starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. Levin's best known novel is Rosemary's Baby, a horror story of modern day satanism and the occult, set in Manhattan's Upper West Side. In 1982, it was made into a film starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine. Levin's best known play is Deathtrap, which holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway and brought Levin his second Edgar Award. A Kiss Before Dying was turned into a movie twice, first in 1956, and again in 1991. Levin's first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, was well received, earning him the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. No Time for Sergeants is generally considered the precursor to Gomer Pyle, USMC. The play was turned into a movie in 1958, and co-starred Don Knotts, Griffith's long-time co-star and friend. Levin's first produced play was No Time for Sergeants (adapted from Mac Hyman's novel), a comedy about a hillbilly drafted into the United States Air Force that launched the career of Andy Griffith. Levin graduated from the Horace Mann School and New York University, where he majored in philosophy and English.Īfter college, he wrote training films and scripts for television.

A kiss before dying novel