LENNY Playwright and Screenwriter Julian Barry Dies at 92

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that playwright, screenwriter, and stage performer Julian Barry has died at age 92. Barry is best known for writing the Oscar-nominated script for the 1974 film "Lenny" about comedian Lenny Bruce, adapted from his Broadway play of the same name.

Barry began his career on stage, first being cast in the 1955 Orson Welles production of King Lear at New York City Center. He continued working on Broadway as an actor in the musical Shinbone Alley, where he was also stage manager. He also stage managed several other Broadway productions, and appeared in several of them as well, including The Disenchanted, Compulsion, and more.

At the 47th Academy Awards in 1974, Lenny was honored with nominations in all five categories that constitute the Oscar Grand Slam, including a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Barry. He was also nominated that year for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium, as well as a Jeff Award for his directorial efforts on the Lenny stage show in Chicago.

In 1983, Barry wrote the book for Jean Seberg, a musical biography of the American actress and political activist who committed suicide in Paris in 1979. The production was directed by Peter Hall at London's National Theatre with music by Marvin Hamlisch. 

Barry ventured back into opera writing the libretto for Zyklon, an opera about the life of German-Jewish scientist Fritz Haber. The music was composed by the British composer Peter King.