Hugh Leonard, Irish Playwright & Journalist Dead at 82
By: Eddie Varley Feb. 12, 2009
The Irish Times is reporting that Irish dramatist, journalist and self-styled curmudgeon Hugh Leonard has died-he passed away early this morning, February 12th, 2009. He was 82, the prolific playwright had been ill for some time.
Hugh Leonard was actually the pseudonym of John (Jack) Keyes Byrne, who was raised in Dalkey, Co Dublin. He adopted the name in the 1950s while working in the Civil service fearing his employers would frown upon his writing.
Leonard's plays included The Big Birthday , A Leap in the Dark, Stephen D , The Poker Session , The Patrick Pearse Motel , The Au Pair Man and his most well known, Da.
Da ran for nearly two years on Broadway and earned Leonard a Tony Award in 1977. Da was later turned into a film starring Martin Sheen.
He published two very popular volumes of autobiography, Home Before Night (1979) and Out After Dark (1989). He also adapted a number of classic novels for British television, including Nicholas Nickleby and Wuthering Heights , and until recently wrote The Curmudgeon column for the Sunday Independent.
The playwright is survived by his wife Kathy and a daughter Danielle.
To read more on Leonard in the Irish Times click here.
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