Cohan, George M

Cohan, George M(ichael)

George M. Cohan.

(credit: Pictorial Parade)

(born July 3, 1878, Providence, R.I., U.S.—died Nov. 5, 1942, New York, N.Y.) U.S. actor, songwriter, playwright, and producer. Cohan with his parents and sister performed in vaudeville as The Four Cohans. He began writing for the New York stage in the early 1900s; his musical Little Johnny Jones (1904; film, 1930) included the classics “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Among his later productions were The Governor's Son (1901), The Talk of New York (1907), Broadway Jones (1912), Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913), and American Born (1925). He later appeared in shows such as Ah, Wilderness! (1933) and I'd Rather Be Right (1937). His best-known songs include “You're a Grand Old Flag,” “Mary's a Grand Old Name,” and the famous World War I recruiting song “Over There,” for which he was awarded a special Congressional medal in 1940. Cohan was the subject of the film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the musical George M! (1968).