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Sam Shepard

Date of Death: July 27, 2017 (73)

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BIO

Celebrated playwright, actor and novelist Sam Shepard, passed away on Thursday, July 27, 2017 at age 73.



Shepard is the author of forty-four plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. 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 for his portrayal of pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983).

Shepard received the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award as a master American dramatist in 2009. New York described him as "the greatest American playwright of his generation."

His many plays include: Cowboys, The Rock Garden, Chicago, Icarus's Mother, 4-H Club, Red Cross, La Turista, Cowboys #2, Forensic & the Navigators, The Unseen Hand, Oh! Calcutta! (contributed sketches), The Holy Ghostly, Operation Sidewinder, Mad Dog Blues, Back Bog Beast Bait, Cowboy Mouth, The Tooth of Crime, Geography of a Horse Dreamer, Action, Angel City, Suicide in B Flat, Inacoma, Curse of the Starving Class, Buried Child, Tongues, True West, Savage/Love, Fool for Love, A Lie of the Mind, A Short Life of Trouble, Baby Boom, States of Shock, Simpatico, Tooth of Crime, Eyes for Consuela, The Late Henry Moss, The God of Hell, Kicking a Dead Horse, Ages of the Moon, Heartless and A Particle of Dread.

Shepard's plays are chiefly known for their bleak, poetic, often surrealist elements, black humor and rootless characters living on the outskirts of American society. His style has evolved over the years, from the absurdism of his early Off-Off-Broadway work to the realism of Buried Child and Curse of the Starving Class (both 1978).

Shepard began his acting career in earnest when he was cast as the handsome land baron in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven (1978), opposite Richard Gere and Brooke Adams. This led to other important film roles, including that of Cal, Ellen Burstyn's love interest, in the film "Resurrection" (1980), and most notably his portrayal of Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983). The latter performance earned Shepard an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. By 1986, his play Fool for Love was getting a film adaptation directed by Robert Altman, in which Shepard played the lead role; his play A Lie of the Mind was being performed Off-Broadway with an all-star cast (including Harvey Keitel and Geraldine Page); and Shepard was subsequently working steadily as a film actor - all of these achievements put him on the cover of Newsweek.

Throughout the years, Shepard has done a considerable amount of teaching on writing plays and other aspects of theatre. His classes and seminars have occurred at various theatre workshops, festivals, and universities. Shepard was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1986. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986.

His screenwriting credits include Zabriskie Point; Paris, Texas; and Fool for Love; he wrote and directed the films Far North and Silent Tongue. His first novel “The One Inside” was published in February of 2017.

Mr. Shepard appeared in numerous films, including The Right Stuff (Academy Award nomination, Best Actor in a Supporting Role), Fool for Love, Crimes of the Heart, Baby Boom, Steel Magnolias, Bright Angel, The Notebook, Black Hawk Down, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Brothers, Safe House, and August: Osage County among many others. In 1999 he received Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his performance in the TV movie “Dash and Lilly.” Most recently Mr. Shepard appeared in The Netflix original series “Bloodline.”

Photos

Movies

Me and My Brother
[ 1969 ] writer
Zabriskie Point
[ 1970 ] writer
Days of Heaven
[ 1978 ] The Farmer
Resurrection
[ 1980 ] Cal
Raggedy Man
[ 1981 ] Bailey
Frances
[ 1982 ] Harry York
The Right Stuff
[ 1983 ] Chuck Yeager
Country
[ 1984 ] Gil Ivy
Paris, Texas
[ 1984 ] writer
Fool for Love
[ 1985 ] Eddie, May's half-brother
Crimes of the Heart
[ 1986 ] Doc Porter
Baby Boom
[ 1987 ] Dr. Jeff Cooper
Far North
[ 1988 ] writer
Steel Magnolias
[ 1989 ] Spud Jones
Bright Angel
[ 1990 ] Jack
Defenseless
[ 1991 ] Det. Beutel
Voyager
[ 1991 ] Walter Faber
Thunderheart
[ 1992 ] Frank Coutelle
The Pelican Brief
[ 1993 ] Thom Callahan
Silent Tongue
[ 1993 ] writer
Safe Passage
[ 1994 ] Patrick
The Only Thrill
[ 1997 ] Reece McHenry
It All Came True
[ 1998 ] Will Dodge
Snow Falling on Cedars
[ 1999 ] Arthur Chambers
Simpatico
[ 1999 ] writer
Hamlet
[ 2000 ] Ghost
All the Pretty Horses
[ 2000 ] J.C. Franklin
The Pledge
[ 2001 ] Eric Pollack
Black Hawk Down
[ 2001 ] Garrison
Swordfish
[ 2001 ] Senator Reisman
Leo
[ 2002 ] Vic
Blind Horizon
[ 2003 ] Sheriff Jack Kolb
The Notebook
[ 2004 ] Frank Calhoun
Stealth
[ 2005 ] Captain George Cummings
The Return
[ 2005 ] Ed Mills
Don't Come Knocking
[ 2005 ] Howard Spence
Bandidas
[ 2006 ] Bill Buck
Walker Payne
[ 2006 ] Syrus
Charlotte's Web
[ 2006 ] The Narrator
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
[ 2007 ] Frank James
Felon
[ 2008 ] Gordon
The Accidental Husband
[ 2008 ] Wilder
Brothers
[ 2009 ] Hank Cahill
Inhale
[ 2010 ] James Harrison
Fair Game
[ 2010 ] Sam Plame
Blackthorn
[ 2011 ] James
Killing Them Softly
[ 2012 ] Dillon
Safe House
[ 2012 ] Harlan Whitford
Darling Companion
[ 2012 ] Sheriff Morris
Mud
[ 2012 ] Tom
August: Osage County
[ 2013 ] Beverly Weston
Out of the Furnace
[ 2013 ] GeraldRedBaze
Savannah
[ 2013 ] Mr. Stubbs
Cold in July
[ 2014 ] Russel
Ithaca
[ 2015 ] Willie Grogan
Midnight Special
[ 2016 ] Calvin Meyer
In Dubious Battle
[ 2016 ] Mr. Anderson
Never Here
[ 2017 ] Paul Stark

TV Shows

Bloodline
Robert Rayburn

Awards and Nominations

Tony Awards - 2000 - Best Play

Sam Shepard, True West

Tony Awards - 1996 - Best Play

Sam Shepard, Buried Child


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1986 - Best Play

Sam Shepard, A Lie of the Mind

The Pulitzer Prize - 1984 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Sam Shepard, Fool for Love

Drama Desk Awards - 1983 - Outstanding Play

Sam Shepard, True West

The Pulitzer Prize - 1983 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Sam Shepard, True West


winner
The Pulitzer Prize - 1979 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Sam Shepard, Buried Child


winner
Obie Awards - 1968 - Distinguished Plays

Sam Shepard Forensic and the Navigator


winner
Obie Awards - 1967 - Distinguished Plays

Sam Shepard, La Turista


winner
Obie Awards - 1966 - Distinguished Plays

Sam ShepardChicago


winner
Obie Awards - 1966 - Distinguished Plays

Sam ShepardIcarus's Mother


winner
Obie Awards - 1966 - Distinguished Plays

Sam ShepardRed Cross

Videos

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Sam Shepard written?

Sam Shepard has written 6 shows including Operation Sidewinder (Playwright), Buried Child (Playwright), True West (Playwright), Ages Of The Moon (Playwright), Heartless (Playwright), A Particle of Dread (Oedipus Variations) (Writer).

What awards has Sam Shepard been nominated for?

Sam Shepard has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable nominations include Best Play at the Tony Awards for "True West" and "Buried Child," Best Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "A Lie of the Mind," the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Fool for Love," and Outstanding Play at the Drama Desk Awards for "True West." He has also received nominations for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "True West" and "Buried Child." Additionally, Shepard has been recognized with Distinguished Plays awards at the Obie Awards for works such as "Forensic and the Navigator," "La Turista," "Chicago," "Icarus's Mother," and "Red Cross."

What awards has Sam Shepard won?

Sam Shepard has won several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable wins include the Best Play award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "A Lie of the Mind," the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Buried Child," and multiple Distinguished Plays awards from the Obie Awards for plays such as "Forensic and the Navigator," "La Turista," "Chicago," "Icarus's Mother," and "Red Cross." Shepard's talent and contributions to the theater industry have been recognized and celebrated by these prestigious awards.

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