Biography
The producer of more than 50 plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in London, Frederick M. Zollo moved into feature films in 1988, and has since produced or executive produced such motion pictures as "Mississippi Burning" (1988), "The Paper" (1984), and "Quiz Show" (1994). His theatre work has received more than two dozen Tony Awards nominations, including best play nominations for Marsha Norman's "'night Mother" starring Kathy Bates (1983), and David Rabe's "Hurlyburly" (1984). Zollo also produced Rabe's "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" starring Al Pacino (1972), as well as the original New York production of Ernest Thompson's "On Golden Pond" (1977). He produced the 1977 revival of "Guys and Dolls," and Zollo was connected with August Wilson during the early stages of Wilson's illustrious career, producing "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," and has also been associated with actor/writer Eric Bogosian for "Funhouse" Off-Broadway, as well as producing and directing Bogosian's "Talk Radio," and his feature film "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll" (1991). He won an OBIE for producing "Aven' U Boys" Off-Broadway in 1992. Zollo launched the London production of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." Zollo plunged into feature films in 1988 with "Miles From Home," the dysfunctional family story from Gary Sinise. That same year came "Mississippi Burning," which was criticized for depicting the story of FBI agents investigating the murders of civil rights workers Chaney, Schwermer and Goodman with virtually no African American characters depicted. Nevertheless, Zollo pressed on. He produced Rob Howard's 1994 melodrama about a daily newspaper, "The Paper" and, that same year, joined with Martin Scorsese in presenting Daniel Algrant's film directorial debut, "Naked in New York." Also in 1994, Zollo was executive producer on "Quiz Show," Robert Redford's investigation into the game show scandals of the late 50s. Zollo returned to the milieu of civil rights in 1996, producing Rob Reiner's look into the eventual conviction of Byron De la Beckwith for the murder of Medgar Evers with "The Ghosts of Mississippi." Zollo dipped into TV in 1996 as well, executive producing "Big Dream, Small Screen" (PBS), the story of Philo Farnsworth and the invention of the mechanics of the medium. He also executive produced "In the Gloaming," the 1997 directorial debut of Christopher Reeves, which dealt with a son with AIDS coming home to his family to get to know them before he dies.
