Sam Shepard
Latest News on Sam Shepard:
BIO
Sam Shepard began his career as a playwright in New York City, where his early plays The Rock Garden and Cowboys debuted in 1964. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, many of his works were produced at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, including Dog and The Rocking Chair (1965), Red Cross (1966), La Turista (1967), Melodrama Play (1967), The Unseen Hand (1969), and Shaved Splits (1970). He also contributed to Kenneth Tynan's Oh! Calcutta! (1969) and collaborated with Patti Smith on Cowboy Mouth (1971). Between 1966 and 1984, Shepard won a record 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing.
As a screenwriter, Shepard worked on the films Me and My Brother (1968), Zabriskie Point (1970), and Renaldo and Clara (1978). He also collaborated with Bob Dylan on the song "Brownsville Girl," released on Dylan's 1986 album Knocked Out Loaded. In 1975, Shepard became playwright-in-residence at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, where he developed many of his best-known works, including Buried Child (1978), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, True West (1980), Fool for Love (1983), and A Lie of the Mind (1985). Later works included The Late Henry Moss (2000), Ages of the Moon (2010), and the collection Day out of Days: Stories (2010).
Shepard launched his film acting career with Days of Heaven (1978) and went on to appear in Resurrection (1980), The Right Stuff (1983), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Baby Boom (1987), Black Hawk Down (2001), Blackthorn (2011), and Never Here (filmed in 2014, released in 2017). He also starred in the television series Bloodline (2014–2017).
In addition to writing and acting, Shepard directed many of his own stage works beginning in the 1970s. He also directed the films Far North and Silent Tongue. His later artistic projects included performing Spalding Gray's Life Interrupted audiobook (2006) and contributing banjo to Patti Smith's album Twelve (2007). Throughout his career, Shepard remained one of the most influential figures in contemporary American theater as a playwright, actor, screenwriter, and director.
He passed away on Thursday, July 27, 2017 at age 73.
Photos
Movies
[ 1969 ] writer
[ 1970 ] writer
[ 1978 ] The Farmer
[ 1980 ] Cal
[ 1981 ] Bailey
[ 1982 ] Harry York
[ 1983 ] Chuck Yeager
[ 1984 ] Gil Ivy
[ 1984 ] writer
[ 1985 ] Eddie, May's half-brother
[ 1986 ] Doc Porter
[ 1987 ] Dr. Jeff Cooper
[ 1988 ] writer
[ 1989 ] Spud Jones
[ 1990 ] Jack
[ 1991 ] Det. Beutel
[ 1991 ] Walter Faber
[ 1992 ] Frank Coutelle
[ 1993 ] Thom Callahan
[ 1993 ] writer
[ 1994 ] Patrick
[ 1997 ] Reece McHenry
[ 1998 ] Will Dodge
[ 1999 ] Arthur Chambers
[ 1999 ] writer
[ 2000 ] Ghost
[ 2000 ] J.C. Franklin
[ 2001 ] Eric Pollack
[ 2001 ] Garrison
[ 2001 ] Senator Reisman
[ 2002 ] Vic
[ 2003 ] Sheriff Jack Kolb
[ 2004 ] Frank Calhoun
[ 2005 ] Captain George Cummings
[ 2005 ] Ed Mills
[ 2005 ] Howard Spence
[ 2006 ] Bill Buck
[ 2006 ] Syrus
[ 2006 ] The Narrator
[ 2007 ] Frank James
[ 2008 ] Gordon
[ 2008 ] Wilder
[ 2009 ] Hank Cahill
[ 2010 ] James Harrison
[ 2010 ] Sam Plame
[ 2011 ] James
[ 2012 ] Dillon
[ 2012 ] Harlan Whitford
[ 2012 ] Sheriff Morris
[ 2012 ] Tom
[ 2013 ] Beverly Weston
[ 2013 ] GeraldRedBaze
[ 2013 ] Mr. Stubbs
[ 2014 ] Russel
[ 2015 ] Willie Grogan
[ 2016 ] Calvin Meyer
[ 2016 ] Mr. Anderson
[ 2017 ] Paul Stark
TV Shows
Robert Rayburn
Awards and Nominations
Sam Shepard, True West
Sam Shepard, Buried Child
winner
Sam Shepard, A Lie of the Mind
Sam Shepard, Fool for Love
Sam Shepard, True West
Sam Shepard, True West
winner
Sam Shepard, Buried Child
winner
Sam Shepard Forensic and the Navigator
winner
Sam Shepard, La Turista
winner
Sam ShepardChicago
winner
Sam ShepardIcarus's Mother
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Sam ShepardRed Cross
Videos
Video: Christian Slater Talks Working with Live Sheep in CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-01-21 16:00:12
Video: Daniel Aukin Reacts to Tony Win for Best Direction of a Play
by Joey Mervis - 2024-06-17 08:29:47
LEROY AND LUCY World Premiere, NOISES OFF & More Announced For Steppenwolf's 2024/2025 Season
by Joshua Wright - 2024-03-13 13:29:34
VIDEO: Norbert Leo Butz Sings 'Fight the Dragons' From BIG FISH
by Stephi Wild - 2020-03-22 09:18:39
News
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 18, 2026
Ages of the Moon, the new film adaptation of the Sam Shepard play, has recently wrapped production in New York. Additionally, Liam Neeson has joined as an executive producer on the feature.
by Stephi Wild - Jun 2, 2026
Triple Fringe First Award winners Xhloe and Natasha will premiere their new absurdist two-hander at Summerhall Arts as part of Soho Theatre's Edinburgh Fringe season, featuring a nine-foot puppet and a story set in a flood-ravaged 1990s Appalachian town.
by A.A. Cristi - May 28, 2026
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club has announced staged readings of CUL-DE-SAC by Leslie Gauthier and HOUSE GYALZ by Abigail C. Onwunali, this year's Morgan Jenness Experiments in Playwriting Fellows.
by Stephi Wild - May 26, 2026
Ed Harris has revealed that he will be returning to the stage this year, starring alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Allison Janney in a production of Jon Robin Baitz's family drama, Other Desert Cities.
by A.A. Cristi - May 20, 2026
Stacy Cancelarich's solo show FINGERS CROSSED, a comedy about caring for a dying father amid COVID lockdown and family chaos, will perform one night only at Paradise Factory Theater as part of Diamond Mesh's Manifestival.
by Stephi Wild - May 14, 2026
Theatre Communications Group announced Tianyu Lei and Viktoriia Shlenova as the 2026 recipients of the Willa Kim Costume Design Scholarship, honoring the legacy of the legendary costume designer.
by Robert Encila-Celdran - Apr 23, 2026
With Koso, the energy shifts: these are not students learning a craft, but working professionals returning to it, refining it in real time. In this setting, the usual theatrical scaffolding falls away. With minimal design (and practical lighting), the actors generate tension through behavior alone, turning a small studio into a Mojave motel room with little help from the space itself. This isn’t minimalism for its own sake. There’s just nowhere to hide.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 16, 2026
Cherry Lane Alternative is relaunching with The Tongues reading series, featuring a staged reading of The Demand of Avarice, written by Matthew McLachlan, directed by David Zayas Jr., and starring Kyra Sedgwick and more.
by Team BWW - Apr 13, 2026
Recently, the stage adaptation of the classic mystery masterpiece And Then There Were None has returned to critical acclaim, prompting renewed reflection on human nature, guilt, and fate. Within this tightly structured ensemble drama—renowned for its psychological intensity—New York–based Chinese actor Boyu Chen portrays Anthony Marston, one of the ten central characters.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 7, 2026
Theatre Calgary has revealed the company’s 2026-27 season of plays. The lineup features six shows including a musical with teeth, two distinctly different comedies, a new adaptation of a beloved novel, and more.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 1, 2026
Ensemble Theatre Company has unveiled its 2026-27 48th Season, “California: Here and Now,” spans solo comedy, rock musical, world premiere musical, noir thriller, and explosive American drama.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 1, 2026
Dissecting how local paranoia is manufactured and the intoxicating pull of conspiracy culture, triple Fringe First Award winners Xhloe and Natasha's new show delves into the dark side of American mythos and the theatre of mass distraction.
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 24, 2026
Ahead of the highly anticipated new film, Forbidden Fruits co-writer Lily Houghton spoke to BroadwayWorld about the cinematic adaptation of her play, and how she channeled her own grief and 'hyper-fem” voice into this heightened world.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 11, 2026
Audible Theater and TOGETHER, will present two additional productions for their 2026 season, directed by Ian Rickson and presented in repertory at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City.
by Stephi Wild - Feb 23, 2026
Signature Theatre has announced performers and special guests for its 35th Anniversary Gala, set for Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Edison Ballroom. Learn more here!
by Stephi Wild - Mar 6, 2026
Death of a Salesman is back on Broadway! Arthur Miller’s American drama will star three-time Tony Award winner Nathan Lane, two-time Tony Award winner Laurie Metcalf, Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers. Meet the cast of Death of a Salesman here!
by Dawn Sellers - Feb 16, 2026
Geography of a Horse Dreamer by Sam Shepard wrestles with artistic value, exploitation, power, and control. You will never dream the same again. On stage at Imago Theatre through March 1, 2026
by Josh Sharpe - Feb 10, 2026
Oscar-nominated actress Amy Madigan will receive the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Distinguished Artisan Award at the 13th Annual MUAHS Awards.
by Gillian Blum - Jan 25, 2026
Shaker Bridge Theatre announced the opening of Fool for Love, an explosive intense landmark myth of the new Wild West by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard, running January 22 through February 8.
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 21, 2026
Judson Memorial Church will present THE BIG BANG BENEFIT on February 5th and 6th, featuring live readings, music, and dinners to support downtown New York's artistic community. The event includes performances by notable actors and musicians, with proceeds aiding Judson Commons.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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).
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."
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.
