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Eugene O'Neill

Date of Death: November 27, 1953 (65)

Birth Place: New York, NY, USA

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BIO

Eugene O'Neill was an American playwright who is widely considered to be one of the greatest dramatists in American history. Born in 1888 in New York City, O'Neill grew up in a family of actors and spent much of his childhood on the road with his father's theater company. Despite this early exposure to the world of theater, O'Neill initially pursued a career as a sailor and spent several years at sea before returning to the stage.


O'Neill's early plays were heavily influenced by the naturalistic style of European playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg. His first major success came with the production of "Beyond the Horizon" in 1920, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Over the next two decades, O'Neill continued to write groundbreaking plays that explored themes of addiction, family dysfunction, and the search for meaning in a world that often seemed cruel and indifferent.
Some of O'Neill's most famous works include "The Iceman Cometh," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," and "A Moon for the Misbegotten." These plays are notable for their complex characters, poetic language, and unflinching examination of the human condition. O'Neill's work was also notable for its willingness to tackle taboo subjects such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental illness.
In addition to his work as a playwright, O'Neill was also a prolific writer of prose. His autobiographical works, including "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "A Moon for the Misbegotten," are widely regarded as some of the finest examples of American literature.
Despite his success as a playwright, O'Neill's personal life was marked by tragedy. He struggled with alcoholism and depression throughout his life, and several of his family members suffered from mental illness. O'Neill's second wife, Agnes Boulton, was also a writer, but their marriage was fraught with conflict and ended in divorce.
O'Neill's health began to decline in the 1940s, and he was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disorder that made it difficult for him to write. He continued to work, however, and in 1956 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his contributions to the theater.
Eugene O'Neill died in 1953 at the age of 65. His legacy as one of America's greatest playwrights endures, and his work continues to be produced and studied around the world. In recent years, several of his plays have been adapted for film and television, including a 2016 production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night" starring Jessica Lange and Gabriel Byrne.

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Productions

 
[West End, 2024]
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[Broadway, 1926]
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[Broadway, 1924]
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Writing

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Source Material
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Awards and Nominations

Drama League Awards - 2016 - Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play

Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey Into Night

Drama League Awards - 2015 - Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play

Eugene O'Neill, The Iceman Cometh


winner
Olivier Awards - 2004 - Best Revival

Eugene O'NeillMourning Becomes Electra


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Drama Desk Awards - 2000 - Outstanding Revival - Play

Eugene O'Neill, A Moon for the Misbegotten

Tony Awards - 1959 - Best Play

Eugene O'Neill, A Touch of the Poet


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1957 - Best American Play

Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night


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The Pulitzer Prize - 1957 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey Into Night


winner
Tony Awards - 1957 - Best Play

Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey Into Night

New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1947 - Best American Play

Eugene O'Neill, The Iceman Cometh


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The Pulitzer Prize - 1928 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Eugene O'Neill, Strange Interlude


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The Pulitzer Prize - 1922 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Eugene O'Neill, Anna Christie


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The Pulitzer Prize - 1920 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Eugene O'Neill, Beyond the Horizon

Videos

News


Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater Opens Season With JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN

The 2023 Season at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater opens with Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Sherri Eden Barber. Performances run Tuesdays through Saturdays, May 26 to June 17 at 8 p.m.
CITIZEN BRAIN Comes to the Marsh Berkeley

The Marsh Berkeley presents Josh Kornbluth’s engaging and enlightening autobiographical monologue Citizen Brain, told in Kornbluth’s inimitable humorous, intelligent, and forthright style. Inspired to provide a helping hand, Kornbluth began to immerse himself in the study of brain disease at the Global Brain Health Institute.
THE ARSONIST OF VENICE Comes to the Hollywood Fringe

Just out of prison for a string of inexplicable arsons, a celebrated novelist returns home to Venice, California with a dark and singular goal. Set against the splendor and privation of modern Los Angeles, this dark, poetic drama excavates painful human truths, exploring how early violence and unresolved loss can lead to addiction and madness. Hollow Visions Productions will bring The Arsonist of Venice to the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Find Out Who is Starring as The Harmonists in Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's HARMONY on Broadway

The producers of Harmony have announced the actors who will portray The Harmonists, the legendary real-life musical group in Harmony, the new musical by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman.
THE BOOK OF MORMON Returns to Lincoln This Month

Back by popular demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON, which played a record-breaking run in 2018, returns to Lincoln for a limited engagement March 24-26, 2023 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Now Accepting Applications For 2023 Cabaret Fellows

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is now seeking vocalists for its 2023 Cabaret Fellows program. Applications will be accepted until Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 11:59pm PST.
Adrienne Haan Will Perform in TEHORAH at Carnegie Hall in May

International chanteuse Adrienne Haan will appear in Tehorah (“pure” in Hebrew), a heartbreaking, promising musical journey about loss, hope and forgiveness on Wednesday, May 10 at 8:00pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Tickets Go On Sale For THE BOOK OF MORMON in Santa Barbara Next Week

The producers of the national tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON, winner of nine Tony Awards® including Best Musical, and The American Theatre Guild announced today that single tickets will go on sale Tuesday, February 21 at 10:00 a.m. This production is part of the BROADWAY IN SANTA BARBARA SERIES and will play The Granada Theatre for a limited engagement May 20–21, 2023.
Rethinking Theater Criticism Conference Will Take Place in Washington D.C. This Month

Join critics, editors, producers, actors, directors, funders, and the theater community for a conference, Rethinking Theater Criticism, Saturday, February 18 and Saturday, February 25, 2023 to understand and envision the future of theatrical criticism. All events are free; advance registration is required for some sessions.
Photos: Natalie Douglas Celebrates Lena Horne At Birdland!

Birdland presents thirteen-time MAC Award winning singer Natalie Douglas in “To Lena: A Tribute to the Lady and Her Music.”
Tickets for THE BOOK OF MORMON at The Playhouse Go on Sale Today

The producers of the national tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON, winner of nine Tony Awards® including Best Musical, and The Grand announced that single tickets will go on sale Thursday, November 17 at 10am. 
THE BOOK OF MORMON Comes To The Fisher Theatre, March 14 - 19

The National Tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON, winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, will play a strictly limited 1-week engagement on March 14 – 19, 2023 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.
Brittani Samuel Wins Inaugural Edward Medina Prize

The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) has named critic and journalist Brittani Samuel to receive the inaugural Edward Medina Prize for Excellence in Cultural Criticism at its November 2022 conference in New York. 
Review Roundup: Gabriel Byrne Brings WALKING WITH GHOSTS To Broadway- The Critics React!

Internationally renowned actor and writer Gabriel Byrne returns to Broadway in his acclaimed solo show, Walking with Ghosts, adapted from his best-selling memoir of the same name.
Parity Productions Presents A Workshop of TURNING KRASNIQI: A NON-BINARY PLAY

Parity Productions, the New York based theatre company dedicated to producing new work and filling at least 80% of the creative positions (playwrights, directors, and designers) with women, trans, and gender-expansive artists, will premiere a developmental workshop of 2020 Commission Winner Jonathan Alexandratos’ (they/them) play Turning Krasniqi: A Non-Binary Play at the newly renovated AMT Theater. 
Photos: First Look at Urbanite Theatre's THE BURDENS

Urbanite Theatre will begin its 2022/23 Season with a twisted and inventive dark comedy, The Burdens by Matt Schatz, from October 22 - November 27, 2022. The Burdens, directed by Urbanite Theatre Artistic Director Brendan Ragan, will follow a set of clumsy siblings plotting to address a problematic grandfather. Check out the photos here.
THE BOOK OF MORMON On Sale At Kalamazoo's Miller Auditorium

Back by popular demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON, which played a sold out one week run in 2016, returns to Kalamazoo for a limited engagement Friday, January 27 – Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Miller Auditorium.
GREASE Comes to The Beverly Theatre Guild This Month

Fifty years after its debut, “Grease” is still the word. The Beverly Theatre Guild kicks off its 60th season with a stage production of the knock-your-bobby-socks-off musical Grease at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 & 22 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 23 at the Baer Theatre at Morgan Park Academy Arts Center in Chicago.
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Now Accepting Applications For The 2023 National Music Theater Conference

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center has announced that applications are now open for the 2023 National Music Theater Conference.
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Announces Application Windows For The 2023 National Playwrights Conference, and More

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center will begin accepting applications for its 2023 programming this month. This fall, submissions will be accepted for two of the O’Neill’s signature summer conferences—the National Playwrights Conference and the National Music Theater Conference—as well as the spring 2023 semester of the National Theater Institute.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Eugene O'Neill written?

Eugene O'Neill has written 40 shows including In The Zone (Playwright), Beyond the Horizon (Playwright), The Emperor Jones (Playwright), Diff'rent (Playwright), Gold (Playwright), The Straw (Playwright), The First Man (Playwright), The Hairy Ape (Playwright), Welded (Playwright), Desire Under the Elms (Playwright), Ile (Playwright), The Fountain (Playwright), The Great God Brown (Playwright), Strange Interlude (Playwright), Where the Cross Is Made (Playwright), The Dreamy Kid (Playwright), S. S. Glencairn (Playwright), Dynamo (Playwright), Marco Millions (Playwright), Mourning Becomes Electra (Playwright), Days Without End (Playwright), New Girl in Town (Source Material), Take Me Along (Source Material), Diff'rent (Playwright), The Long Voyage Home (Playwright), Desire Under the Elms (Playwright), Hughie (Playwright), More Stately Mansions (Playwright), All God's Chillun Got Wings (Playwright), Long Day's Journey Into Night / Ah, Wilderness! (Playwright), Ah, Wilderness! (Playwright), Anna Christie (Playwright), The Hairy Ape (Playwright), More Stately Mansions (Playwright), The Iceman Cometh (Playwright), Long Day's Journey Into Night (Playwright), A Touch of the Poet (Playwright), Anna Christie (Source Material), A Moon for the Misbegotten (Playwright), Mourning Becomes Electra (Playwright).

What awards has Eugene O'Neill been nominated for?

Eugene O'Neill has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of the notable nominations include Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play (Drama League Awards) for "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "The Iceman Cometh," Best Revival (Olivier Awards) for "Mourning Becomes Electra," Outstanding Revival - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for "A Moon for the Misbegotten," Best Play (Tony Awards) for "A Touch of the Poet" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night," Best American Play (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for "Long Day's Journey into Night" and "The Iceman Cometh," and The Pulitzer Prize for Drama (The Pulitzer Prize) for "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Strange Interlude," "Anna Christie," and "Beyond the Horizon."

What awards has Eugene O'Neill won?

Eugene O'Neill has won several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable wins include the Best Revival at the Olivier Awards for "Mourning Becomes Electra," Outstanding Revival - Play at the Drama Desk Awards for "A Moon for the Misbegotten," Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "Long Day's Journey into Night," the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Long Day's Journey Into Night," the Best Play at the Tony Awards for "Long Day's Journey Into Night," and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Strange Interlude," "Anna Christie," and "Beyond the Horizon."

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