NEW YORK, June 21 (UPI) -- Theater producer Gene Persson, best known for his work on the racial theater drama "Dutchman," has died in New York at the age of 74.
Persson, who started in the entertainment business as a child actor, went on to produce several theater and film productions, such as playwright LeRoi Jones' controversial 1965 play "Dutchman," which featured a white woman invoking rage in a black man during a lonely subway car ride, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Police shut down one production of the play and another theater banned it, the Times said.
When Persson created a movie adaptation of the play, its content caused Persson's crew to be banned from filming the work in the New York subway system. He went on to produce numerous other works, including playwright Peter Barnes's "Ruling Class."
Persson died June 6 of a heart attack. The Times said he is survived by his wife Ruby, two sons and a daughter.
