Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard was first produced in New York in 1963 at Theatre Genesis and many times at La MaMa and Café Cino. Eleven of his plays have won Obie Awards including The Tooth of Crime (1972) and Curse of the Starving Class (1976). He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his play Buried Child (1979). The critically acclaimed production of True West, starring Jon Malkovich and Gary Sinise opened in New York in 1982. Fool For Love (1982) starring Ed Harris received the Obie for Best Play and Direction. A Lie of the Mind (1985) won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play. Simpatico opened at The Royal Court Theatre after its premiere at The Public Theater in 1994 and was made into a feature film by Matthew Warchus starring Nick Nolte and Sharon Stone. A revised Buried Child under the direction of Gary Sinise opened on Broadway in 1996 and was nominated for a Tony Award. Signature Theatre devoted its season to him that same year. Several new plays opened over the next 10 years in the United States and in London, most notably The Late Henry Moss and The God of Hell. Shepard recently began a fruitful collaboration with The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland where Kicking a Dead Horse and Ages of the Moon premiered. As an actor he is perhaps best known for his roles in Days of Heaven, The Right Stuff and Frances. His third book, Day Out of Days was published in 2011.
Sam Shepard photo by Gregory Costanzo.