Erik Lee Preminger

American writer and actor (born 1944)

Otto Preminger (father)
Gypsy Rose Lee (mother)

RelativesJune Havoc (aunt)

Erik Lee Preminger (born December 11, 1944) is an American writer, actor, and producer.

Early life

Preminger's birth name was Eric Lee Kirkland.^[1] His true paternity was not known to him until he was an adult. He was named by his mother Gypsy Rose Lee and her then-husband, Alexander Kirkland.^[2] His father was film director Otto Preminger.^[3]^[4] He was the only nephew of actress June Havoc, Gypsy Rose Lee's younger sister.

Career

In 1962, after less than a year at Columbia University, he joined the Army.^[5] In 1967, in Germany, while in the Army, he met with Otto Preminger, who was in France.^[5]

In January 2020, he presented a 45-minute multimedia documentary presentation, from Gypsy Rose Lee's 17 volumes of scrapbooks, 16-millimeter films, newsreels, home movies, and television shows, followed by an open-ended Q&A session.^[6]^[7]

Personal life

He wrote an autobiography about his relationship^[8]^[9] with his mother: Gypsy & Me: At Home and on the Road with Gypsy Rose Lee (Little, Brown - 1984, ISBN 0-89621-634-9) which was later re-issued as My G-String Mother: At Home and Backstage With Gypsy Rose Lee (ISBN 1-58394-096-0).

In 1967, he married flight attendant Barbara van Nattem, but the marriage ended in divorce.^[5] In 1971, he was married to his second wife, Brigid Guinan,^[5] moved to San Francisco,^[10]^[11] and his son was 3 years old.^[3]

Filmography


Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972	The Heartbreak Kid	Pecan Pie Waiter	Also associate producer
1975	Rosebud	Ken	Also writer

References

^
- "Stripper Gypsy Rose Lee holds her 4-year-old son, Erik Lee Kirkland, during stopover in a traveling carnival show, Memphis, Tenn., 1954". Classic Burlesque: We Aim to Tease - Photo Gallery, 28 Pictures. LIFE.com. 2009. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- "Gypsy Rose Lee: Rare and Classic Photos of a Burlesque Legend". LIFE.com. January 8, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
^ Bolotin, Susan (1984-11-18). "MOTHER LIKED HER ROOM WARM". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
^ ^a ^b Gent, George (1971-02-06). "Preminger Is Seeking to Adopt His Son by Late Gypsy Rose Lee". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
^ Harbaugh, Pam (2020-01-15). "Gypsy Rose Lee and Her Son, Together Wherever They Went". American Theatre. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McNeil, Donald G. Jr. "Gypsy Rose Lee's Love Child, Now 39, Bares His Soul in a Book About Their Lives". people.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
^ Heithaus, Harriet Howard (January 13, 2020). "Choose your Erik: Gypsy Rose Lee's son. Otto Preminger's son. 'Everglades' film extra". Naples Daily News. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
^ Clisby, Heather (October 28, 1998). "Review: Gypsy Rose Lee's Home Movies". Movie Magazine International. shoestring.org. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
^ "Gypsy Rose Lee Biography". gypsyroselee.net. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
^ Jacobs, Laura (March 1, 2003). "The Women Who Inspired Gypsy". VanityFair.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
^ Cordova, Kathy (February 25, 2023). "A Conversation with Erik Preminger, Son of Burlesque Star Gypsy Rose Lee". The Orinda News. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
^ Bravo, Tony (November 14, 2019). "The real story behind musical 'Gypsy' with son of legendary stripteaser". Datebook. sfchronicle.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.