Playwright and writer Howard M. Teichmann, the son of Jack and Rose Teichmann, was born on January 22, 1916, in Chicago, Illinois. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1938. While at the University, Teichmann was a reporter for the Daily Cardinal, and he wrote for the all-male Haresfoot Club shows.
Teichmann began his professional career as an assistant stage manager for Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre of the Air, subsequently becoming the assistant to the president of Mercury Theatre. It was during this time that Teichmann started writing and producing, first for Mercury Theatre, and later for dramatic radio programs such as Campbell Playhouse and Ford Theatre and for soap operas such as Road of Life and Valiant Lady. In association with the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) during the late 1940s and 1950s he worked as writer, producer, and director for the anthology programs Theatre U.S.A. and Showtime U.S.A.
During the 1950s Teichmann did some work for television, but during that period he largely devoted himself to writing for the theatre, staging such plays as Miss Lonelyhearts (1957), The Girls in 509 (1959), Julia, Jake, and Uncle Joe (1961), and in collaboration with George S. Kaufman, the smash hit The Solid Gold Cadillac (1953).
For over 40 years Teichmann was a member of the English Department at Barnard College, teaching the craft of writing for the stage, screen, and television. From 1962 to 1972 he was executive vice president of Schubert Theatrical Enterprises in which capacity he advised the company on plays suitable for production.
During the 1970s Teichmann turned his mastery of storytelling to the art of biography. In 1972 he published George S. Kaufman: An Intimate Portrait about his former collaborator. This was followed by Smart Aleck: the Wit, World and Life of Alexander Woollcott in 1976 and Alice: The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth in 1979. In 1981 he collaborated with Henry Fonda in the publication of the actor's autobiography.
Teichmann died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on July 7, 1987. He was survived by his wife Evelyn and daughter Judith Teichmann Steckler.
