Tennessee Williams

Thomas Lanier Williams III March 26 1911 February 25 1983 known by his pen name Tennessee Williams was an American playwright and screenwriter Along with contemporaries Eugene ONeill and Arthur Miller he is considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20thcentury American drama At age 33 after years of obscurity Williams suddenly became famous with the success of The Glass Menagerie 1944 in New York City It was the first of a string of successes including A Streetcar Named Desire 1947 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1955 Sweet Bird of Youth 1959 and The Night of the Iguana 1961 With his later work Williams attempted a new style that did not appeal as widely to audiences His drama A Streetcar Named Desire is often numbered on short lists of the finest American plays of the 20th century alongside Eugene ONeills Long Days Journey into Night and Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Much of Williamss most acclaimed work has been adapted for the cinema He also wrote short stories poetry essays and a volume of memoirs In 1979 four years before his death Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame From Wikipedia