Lore Noto

Lore Noto (June 9, 1923 – July 8, 2002), born Lorenzo Noto, He was also known for writing and producing the 1965 musical adaptation of The Yearling on Broadway.

Early life and military career Noto, born in 1923, lived as a young child in a Brooklyn apartment with his Italian immigrant parents and two brothers, but was primarily raised in The Willamsburg Home for Children orphanage from three years of age, upon losing his mother in childbirth with her fourth child.

Noto joined the United States Merchant Marine during World War II. Wounded in Antwerp, Belgium, with a broken back, he was trapped under debris for hours in a bombed building, the result of a direct hit by a German V-2 rocket; Noto was selected among a group of ten men to be the first Merchant Seamen to be awarded the Purple Heart medal.

The curtain was ceremonially taken down on January 13, 2002, after the musical had played 17,162 performances. It became the "World's Longest Running Musical" in the Guinness World Records. Noto was mentioned a second time in the Guinness World Records, for achieving a world record of 6,348 performances as the longest-running actor in a single role in any production, having played Hucklebee (the Girl's father) for about 17 years in his own production of The Fantasticks (this record has been broken since Noto retired from the role). The show won an off-Broadway Obie Award, and a special Tony Award in 1992.

Noto co-wrote the musical theatre adaptation of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings book "The Yearling", which he produced at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway in 1965; the show played only three performances. During the time that he was writing the adaptation, he rented part of his Broadway office to Mel Brooks, who was working on the film The Producers (1967). The two became friendly. Lee Meredith was discovered during that time because Noto saw her in a showcase production of Carousel and knew Brooks would be impressed with the actress.

Personal life Noto died in 2002.