Kristin's Blog: Sam Shepard

"Sam Shepard was born in 1943. He is an American playwright, actor, and director of stage and screen. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. Sam Shepard was born in Illinois and worked on a farm as a teenager. After high school Shepard briefly attended college, but dropped out to join a traveling theater group. One thing that was extremely interesting was that he avoided the draft during the Vietnam era by claiming to be a heroin addict; however, Shepard was using illicit drugs during the time. "

"At the age of nineteen, Shepard became very involved in NY's off-off-Broadway theater scene. Shepard acted prior to the 1970s but then his interests were almost strictly confined to writing. Lots of his writing was for the stage but after three years, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and was known as playwright in residence at the Magic Theatre where many of his works received their premier productions. Shepard's play's that were known as notable works include Buried Child, Curse of the Starving Class, True West, and A Lie of the Mind."

"At the start of his playwrighting career, Shepard did not direct his own plays. His earliest plays were directed by a number of different directors but most often by Ralph Cook. However, later Shepard formed a playwright relationship with Robert Woodrudd, and he had him direct the premiere of Buried Child."

Awards:

"Shepard received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play, Buried Child."

"He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1983 for the film The Right Stuff."

"He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1984 for the film Paris."

"Shepard w

as elected to the American Aca

demy of Arts and Letters. He received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy in 1992."

"In 1994 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame."

"He was nominated for two Tony Awards for Buried Child in 1996, and for True West in 2000."

"He received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for "Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie."

"He won a Dram Desk Award for his play A Lie of the Mind."

"In 2008 he was a SAG nomination for "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries" for his performance as Frank Whiteley in Ruffian."