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Tennessee Williams Headshot

Tennessee Williams

Date of Death: February 25, 1983 (71)

Birth Place: Columbus, MS, USA

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BIO

One of America's greatest playwrights and certainly the greatest ever from the South, Tennessee Williams wrote fiction and motion picture screenplays, but he is acclaimed primarily for his plays, nearly all of which are set in the South, but which at their best rise above regionalism to approach universal themes. Tennessee Williams drew heavily on his family experiences in his writings. When The Glass Menagerie hit Broadway in 1945, it not only changed Tennessee Williams' life, it revolutionized American theatre. A Streetcar Named Desire, The Night of the Iguana and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof are some of his other masterpieces. Among his many awards, Williams won two Pulitzer Prizes and four New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. In addition to 25 full-length plays, Williams produced dozens of short plays and screenplays, two novels, a novella, 60 short stories, more than 100 poem and an autobiography. His works have been translated into at least 27 languages, and countless productions of his work have been staged around the world.

Photos

Awards and Nominations

Olivier Awards - 2003 - Best Revival

Tennessee WilliamsA Streetcar Named Desire

Tony Awards - 1999 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, Not About Nightingales

Olivier Awards - 1995 - Best Revival of a Play or Comedy

Tennessee WilliamsSweet Bird Of Youth


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1962 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, The Night of the Iguana

Tony Awards - 1962 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, The Night of the Iguana


winner
Evening Standard Awards - 1958 - Best Play

Tennessee WilliamsCat on a Hot Tin Roof

Tony Awards - 1956 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1955 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof


winner
The Pulitzer Prize - 1955 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Tennessee Williams, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof


winner
Tony Awards - 1951 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1948 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1945 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

Videos

News


The MAC ONE-ACTS Play-Reading Festival Takes Place On May 22
by A.A. Cristi - May 13, 2025

The Middletown Arts Center will present the sixth edition of The MAC ONE-ACTS Play-Reading Festival, featuring original, one-act works by New Jersey playwrights read theatrically by local actors.
Which Shows Have Been Revived the Most in the 21st Century?
by Jennifer Ashley Tepper - May 11, 2025

Three of this season’s plays and two of this season’s musicals are already getting revived for the second or third time this century! Twenty-five years into the 21st century and Broadway has already seen multiple revivals of Glengarry Glen Ross, Our Town, Romeo and Juliet, Gypsy, and Sunset Boulevard. 
Video: Watch a Clip From National Theatre Live's A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
by Michael Major - May 9, 2025

Gillian Anderson (Sex Education), Vanessa Kirby (The Crown), and Ben Foster (Lone Survivor) lead the cast in Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece in this new video clip!
Concord Acquires Broadway Licensing Global and Imprints
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 8, 2025

Concord has acquired Broadway Licensing Global. BLG’s family of imprints, Broadway Licensing, Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, and Stage Rights, will now become part of Concord Theatricals.
South Florida Symphony Orchestra Reveals 2025/26 Masterworks Season Lineup
by A.A. Cristi - May 8, 2025

Juxtapositions is the theme of South Florida Symphony Orchestra's (SFSO) adventurous 28th season. Award-winning Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso conducts a curated line-up of celebrated works, including several Symphony premieres emerging with unexpected contrasts.
BOY MEETS GIRL to Debut At The 2025 Queerly Festival
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 7, 2025

Boundless Theater and producer Tommaso Cartia will present BOY MEETS GIRL - The Trials & Tribulations Of A Queer Man Living Under A Curse - written by Chetan Rao and Nalini Sharma and directed by David James Parr as part of the 2025 Queerly Festival.
Review: AMERICAN RHAPSODY at Kennedy Center
by David Friscic - May 7, 2025

An evening of the myriad modes of music that constitute the American Experience was celebrated at the Kennedy Center’s production of American Rhapsody. The evening was a rich treasure trove of the glory that is American music from opera, spirituals, modern composers, classic songwriters, and Broadway.
New Cast Members Join OUTRAGED HEARTS: INTERIOR: PANIC and THE PRETTY TRAP
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 5, 2025

The Fire Weeds, a female-driven theater company, in association with Houghton Hall Arts Community, will present Outraged Hearts. Learn more about the upcoming production and see how to attend!
Sierra Boggess and More to Perform at 54 Below Next Week
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 2, 2025

Next week, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond including Sierra Boggess, Lea DeLaria and more! 
DEBBIE WITH A D'S TENNESSEE WITH THE TEA is Coming to TWTC
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 30, 2025

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans is partnering with Debbie with a D—voted Best Drag Performer in Gambit's Best of New Orleans 2024—to present Debbie with a D's Tennessee with the Tea, an adults-only drag queen story hour.
Stage and Screen Veteran Priscilla Pointer Passes Away at 100
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 29, 2025

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report the passing of stage and screen veteran Priscilla Pointer, who passed away in her sleep at the age of 100. Pointer starred in the original tour of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, as well as in the 1973 revival.
PURPLE RAIN World Premiere Tickets On Sale At Hennepin Arts In May
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 29, 2025

Tickets for the pre-Broadway world premiere stage adaptation of Prince's legendary film and album, PURPLE RAIN, will go on sale on Friday, May 9 at 10 a.m..
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, NEXT TO NORMAL And More Set for 2025/26 Denver Center Theatre Company Season
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 26, 2025

Denver Center Theatre Company has announced the 2025/26 season for the regional producing theatre arm of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA).
Photos: THE GLASS MENAGERIE At Hilliard Arts Council
by Jerri Shafer - Apr 25, 2025

Join us for an evocative and deeply moving performance of Tennessee Williams’ classic, The Glass Menagerie. This timeless drama delves into the complexities of family dynamics, dreams deferred, and the struggle between reality and illusion. The Glass Menagerie is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of love, loss, and the human condition that will resonate with audiences long after the curtain falls.
Review: FERTILE GROUND 2025 ROUNDUP #3 at Various
by Krista Garver - Apr 25, 2025

What did our critic think of FERTILE GROUND 2025 ROUNDUP #3 at Various?
See Tom Kitt Featuring Ariana DeBose and More at 54 Below in May
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 25, 2025

Next month, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. The lineup includes Tom Kitt featuring Ariana DeBose, plus more! 
Interview: Kristine Nielsen Talks Summers in Cotuit and Appearing in a Broadway SMASH
by R. Scott Reedy - Apr 24, 2025

Kristine Nielsen has made her name on Broadway playing roles in all kinds of comedies and dramas, but only a very few musicals. She’s changing that up this season, however, portraying Susan Proctor, an Actors’ Studio teacher and confidante to Ivy Lynn, a Broadway star preparing to play Marilyn Monroe, in the new musical comedy “Smash,” at New York’s Imperial Theatre.
2025 Drama League Awards Nominations- The Full List
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 22, 2025

The Drama League announced the 2025 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Direction of a Play, Outstanding Direction of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award. We have the full list of nominees here!
Pamela Anderson, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and More Join Williamstown Theatre Festival
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 21, 2025

Pamela Anderson, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and more have joined the Williamstown Theatre festival lineup. Learn more about the event and see full programming here.
THE GLASS MENAGERIE is Now Playing at Las Vegas Little Theatre
by Stephi Wild - Apr 21, 2025

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams​ is now playing at Las Vegas Little Theatre. Performances run through May 4, 2025. Learn more about the show here!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Tennessee Williams written?

Tennessee Williams has written 35 shows including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Playwright), You Touched Me (Playwright), Summer and Smoke (Playwright), Orpheus Descending (Lyricist), Garden District (Playwright), Sweet Bird of Youth (Playwright), I Rise in Flames, Cried the Phoenix (Playwright), The Purification (Playwright), Period of Adjustment (Playwright), The Night of the Iguana (Playwright), The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (Playwright), The Rose Tattoo (Playwright), The Seven Descents of Myrtle (Playwright), In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel (Playwright), Camino Real (Playwright), Out Cry (Playwright), Battle of Angels (Playwright), Serafina (Source Material), Summer and Smoke (Playwright), Vieux Carre (Playwright), Clothes for a Summer Hotel (Playwright), Ten by Tennessee (Playwright), Kingdom of Earth (Playwright), The Red Devil Battery Sign (Playwright), Not About Nightingales (Playwright), Tennessee Williams Remembered (Author), Something Cloudy, Something Clear (Playwright), Five By Tenn (Playwright), The Glass Menagerie (Playwright), A Streetcar Named Desire (Playwright), Suddenly Last Summer (Playwright), The Eccentricities Of A Nightingale (Playwright), The Two-Character Play (Playwright), 2 By Tennessee Williams (Playwright), Talisman Roses (Playwright).

What awards has Tennessee Williams been nominated for?

Tennessee Williams has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable nominations include Best Revival at the Olivier Awards for "A Streetcar Named Desire," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "Not About Nightingales," Best Revival of a Play or Comedy at the Olivier Awards for "Sweet Bird Of Youth," Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "The Night of the Iguana," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "The Night of the Iguana," Best Play at the Evening Standard Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," The Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "The Rose Tattoo," Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "A Streetcar Named Desire," and Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "The Glass Menagerie."

What awards has Tennessee Williams won?

Tennessee Williams has won several awards for his plays. Some of his notable wins include the Best American Play award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "The Night of the Iguana," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "A Streetcar Named Desire," and "The Glass Menagerie." He also received the Best Play award from the Evening Standard Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and the Tony Award for Best Play for "The Rose Tattoo." Additionally, Williams was honored with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

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