Director, Writer, and Actor Frank Galati Dies at 79

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that director, writer and actor Frank Galati has died at 79.

Galati was a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company since 1985. Frank won two Tony Awards for his adaptation and direction of Steppenwolf's production of The Grapes of Wrath on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1998 for directing the musical Ragtime.

Although he is known primarily as a director of epic plays and musicals (Steppenwolf's Homebody/Kabul, Broadway's Ragtime) is also known for being an actor (Steppenwolf's The Drawer Boy, The Tempest) and adaptor (Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for The Accidental Tourist).

He directed his adaptation of Murakami's Kafka on the Shore at Steppenwolf in 2008. His productions at The Goodman Theatre, where he was an associate director from 1986-2008, include She Always Said Pablo, The Winter's Tale, The Good Person of Setzuan and Cry the Beloved Country.and Mr. Galati is a professor emeritus in the department of performance studies at Northwestern University.

Prior to his death, he served as an artistic associate at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.