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John Willis, editor of Theatre World and Screen World for more than 45 years, died on Friday, June 25, 2010, at the age of 93, at his home in Manhattan, of complications from lung cancer. Willis, acknowledged as one of America's most important theatre and film historians, was also the longtime producer of the Theatre World Awards, given to actors for their outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway stage debuts.
One of the oldest awards bestowed on New York stage actors, recipients over the years have included Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Carol Channing, Judy Holliday, Alan Alda, Bernadette Peters, Alec Baldwin, Betty Comden, Julie Harris, Barbara Cook, Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews, Kate Burton, Matthew Broderick, Lucy Arnaz and the list goes on. Willis attended the 2010 Theatre World Awards on June 8, 2010.
As editor of Theatre World from 1965 to 2008, Willis chronicled 
each season of Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, Regional Theatre, Summer Stock and Touring Companies, complete with actors’ biographies, obituaries and major theatrical awards. He also edited Screen World, the annual record of foreign and domestic film releases. In 2009, Ben Hodges took over editing Theatre World and Barry Monush took over Screen World.
John Alvin Willis was born in Morristown, Tennessee, on October 16, 1916. He graduated cum laude from Milligan College in 1938, and received a MA from the University of Tennessee in 1941. In 1945, after serving in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves, he moved to New York City to become an actor. While working in summer stock, he was tapped by Theatre World co-founder Daniel Blum to type the entries for the annual series, taking over as Editor in 1964, following Blum's death.
Willis holds the unofficial record of seeing more Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway shows than any other person, attending seven to nine shows a week for more than 58 years, with the exception of a two-week vacation in June of every year. In addition, he worked as a New York City public school teacher for more than 20 years.
Willis received a 2001 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, the 2003 Broadway Theater Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, a 1993 Lucille Lortel Award and a 1994 Special Drama Desk Award. He served on the Tony Award nominating committee, the New York University Musical Hall of Fame selection committee and the Board of Directors of the National Board of Review. In 1996 he received a caricature on the wall of Sardi’s.
On a personal note, The Theatre World Awards was the first award 
event I went to when I started in PR in 1983. It was always my favorite award, with no competition and no campaigning; just an award given to an actor or actress for their New York Stage Debut, welcoming them to the theatrical community and to the family of other Theatre World Award winners. Previous winners would present awards to the newcomers, a sort of handing down of the tradition that John started so many years ago. The standing ovation at this year's awards, said it all. We will miss you Mr. Willis.
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