Gregor Collins

Gregor Collins (born August 22, 1976) is an American author, speaker, actor and former reality television producer, best known for playing Matt in the mumblecore film Goodbye Promise, and for writing the memoir The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann, as well as its sequel, The Accidental Caregiver Part II: Saying Yes to a World without Maria Altmann.[1][2][3][4][5]

Collins speaking at Women's International Zionist Organization brunch honoring Maria Altmann, in Melbourne, April 2018

Early life

Collins spent his childhood and adolescent years in the Washington, D.C. area and attended Centreville High School in Northern Virginia, where he was the top-seeded player on his school golf team. Collins subsequently received a golf grant to Ohio Wesleyan University,[6] played for a semester, then transferred to Miami University for two more semesters before taking a year off to work as a production assistant for the television series World Business Review with Caspar Weinberger. He completed his undergraduate studies at Florida State University, where he majored in Media Production.[7]

Career

Collins moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue a career in entertainment. He worked his way into producing various reality television shows such as Blind Date, The Mole season 4, and E!.[8] In 2004 he began to pursue professional acting, eventually performing on stage, in television and in independent films, landing lead roles in the indie feature Night Before the Wedding and the improvised feature Goodbye Promise.[9]

In October 2014 Collins moved to the Murray Hill, Manhattan section of New York, living with and serving as a caregiver to Austrian painter Ruth Rogers-Altmann while he prepared a stage production of his book The Accidental Caregiver, about his experience caring for Rogers-Altmann's cousin Maria Altmann.

Collins has written essays for The Guardian, Focus (German magazine), Life Matters Media, Theater That Matters, Film Courage, Filmmaking Stuff, and has been a regular contributor to CINEMAEDITOR since 2013.[10][11][5]

The Accidental Caregiver

In 2012 Collins published the memoir The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann, detailing his chance meeting and unusual bond with Gustav Klimt heiress Maria Altmann,[12] culminating in her death in early 2011.[13][14][15][16]

In 2015 a Polish translation of the book was published.[17]

Collins gives keynote speeches around the world sharing his experience as Altmann's caregiver, often working with the Women's International Zionist Organization. [18][4] [19]

Stage plays

The Accidental Caregiver stageplay world premiered at the Robert Moss Theater in New York City on January 26, 2015, and was directed by British theatre director Alice Kornitzer.[20] The play also had a staged reading at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York on June 25, 2015, which was directed by Collins. Actors Christian Scheider and Rochelle Slovin read the parts of Gregor and Maria, respectively.[21][22]

In November 2015 Collins wrote the Oscar Wilde-inspired dark comedy Pentonville for the Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York,[23] which was directed by Jonathan Stuart Cerullo.[24] In June 2016 Collins created, co-wrote and co-produced the black comedy series Stories for the People's Improv Theater in New York.[25][26]

In January 2017 Collins' play The Secret World Inside Me was developed and performed as a staged reading at the IATI Theater in New York. [27]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Passions Bartender TV-series
2005 Creepies 2 Jeff Quest Film
2005 Manhater Jackson Botero Film
2005 The Witch's Sabbath Derek Film
2006 The World's Astonishing News Prison Guard TV-series
2006 Blood Legend Clark Film
2007 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide Bouncer TV-Series
2007 Ocean's Thirteen Stickman Film
2007 Loveless in Los Angeles Peter Film
2009 Night Before the Wedding Bronco Film
2009 Chloe and Keith's Wedding Zach Film
2011 Urban Jungle Dating Dilemmas Matt TV-Series
2012 Goodbye Promise Matt Film

References
  1. "Gregor Collins - Caregiver sequel". Balboa Press. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  2. "Gregor Collins - Art and design". the Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  3. "Gregor Collins - Women's International Zionist Organization". WIZO. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  4. "Gregor Collins - AJN". Australian Jewish News. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  5. Collins, Gregor (March 8, 2019). "I Ate the Devil - Gregor Collins". Theaterthatmatters.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  6. "Gregor Collins Talks Life, Love & Maria Altmann". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  7. "Gregor Collins". Pureblissmag.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  8. "Gregor Collins". IMDb.com. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  9. "Movie review: 'Goodbye Promise'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  10. "32-Jähriger findet die Liebe seines Lebens - in 92-Jähriger". Focus.de. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  11. Collins, Gregor (March 27, 2015). "I was 32 when I met the love of my life. She was 92 - Gregor Collins". Theguardian.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  12. "Interview With Actor & Author Gregor Collins". Entertainment Vine. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  13. Weiss, Holly (September 2, 2012). "Book Review: The Accidental Caregiver by Gregor Collins". Seattlepi.com. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  14. "Get Inside the Mind of Actor and Author @GregorCollins". Edenbaylee.wordpress.com. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  15. "Nonfiction Book Review: The Accidental Caregiver by Gregor Collins. Bloch-Bauer Books, $9.99 (378p) ASIN B0092GS96K". Publishersweekly.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  16. "The Accidental Caregiver Legendary Holocaust". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  17. "Strona główna - Wydawnictwo Replika". Wydawnictwo Replika. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  18. "WIZO Event". WIZO. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  19. "Keynote Speaker".
  20. "THE ACCIDENTAL CAREGIVER". Venus Theater Festival. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  21. "New York: STAGED READING - THE ACCIDENTAL CAREGIVER (presented by the ACF New York)". Austria.org. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  22. "Austrian Cultural Forum New York: STAGED READING - THE ACCIDENTAL CAREGIVER". Acfny.org. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  23. "Pentonville in Off-Off-Broadway at Manhattan Repertory Theater". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  24. "IAP Interview: Jonathan S. Cerullo & Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan". Current.nyfa.org. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  25. "stories". Thepit-nyc.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  26. "Gregor Collins - New Play Exchange". Newplayexchange.org. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  27. "The Secret World Inside Me - IATI Theater". Iatitheater.org. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
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