Early life and education Wiman was born in
Moline, Illinois, one of two boys born to William Wiman (son of Erastus Wiman and Eleanor née Galbrith/Erastus was the son of
Erastus Wiman and Therese Amelia née Matthews) and Anna Deere, a granddaughter of
John Deere. His granduncle was architect
Merton Yale Cady of the
Yale family. His mother died in 1906 and after his grandfather, Charles Deere, died the following year he, his father and his brother, Charles Deere Wiman, went to live with his grandmother on her estate in Moline, which was named "Overlook". His grandmother died in 1913 and his father died in 1914. He and his brother were cared for by his uncle and aunt,
William and Katherine Butterworth who lived across the street. Both his grandfather, uncle and brother served as president of
Deere & Company. He was sent to
Todd Seminary for Boys in
Woodstock, Illinois, for school. He served in the military during
World War I and studied drama under
Monty Woolley at
Yale University.
Career He spent two years working for Deere & Company before he and a couple of his friends organized an independent film production company, Film Guild, in
Astoria, Queens from 1920 to 1924. He acted in three silent movies during this time. The film company suffered from marketing difficulties and it dissolved. In 1925 he started a partnership with William A. Brady Jr. They produced plays such as
Lucky Sam McCarver (1925), the revivals of
Little Eyolf and
The Two Orphans in 1926,
The Road to Rome (1927), and
The Little Show (1929). Their working relationship ended amicably in 1929 as Wiman was the only one interested in musical theater. Between 1930 and 1951 he produced more than 50 shows. The more significant productions include:
The Vinegar Tree (1930),
Gay Divorce (1932),
She Loves Me Not (1933),
On Your Toes (1936),
Babes in Arms (1937),
On Borrowed Time (1938),
I Married an Angel (1938), ''
Morning's at Seven (1939), By Jupiter (1942), and The Country Girl'' (1950). Wiman also directed works by
Paul Osborn,
John Van Druten, and
Clifford Odets among others. He had a long association with
Rodgers and Hart. During
World War II he served as the director of entertainment for the
Red Cross in
Great Britain.
Personal life and death Wiman was married to Dorothea Stephens. The couple divorced in 1946. He died in
Hudson, New York, in 1951 at the age of 56 and was buried in
Riverside Cemetery in Moline. ==Filmography==