Lillian Hellman
Birth Place: New Orleans, LA, USA
Photos: Brooks Ashmanskas, Andrew McCarthy, and More in ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN (Jun 5, 2026)
Molly Ringwald, Bob Odenkirk, and More Will Lead ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN Off-Broadway (May 18, 2026)
Eric Bentley's ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN to Have Off-Broadway Run (May 12, 2026)
BIO
Lillian was born in New Orleans, grew up in New Orleans and New York City and attended New York University and Columbia. Her career as a playwright began in 1934 with The Children's Hour, the first of several plays that would bring her international attention and praise, among them The Little Foxes, Watch on the Rhine, Another Part of the Forest, The Autumn Garden and Toys in the Attic. Hellman was twice the recipient of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for the best play of the year (for Watch on the Rhine and Toys in the Attic). She was also awarded the Gold Medal for Drama from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1972 a definitive edition of all her work for the theatre was published as The Collected Plays. Hellman received the National Book Award for An Unfinished Woman in 1969. She subsequently wrote two additional volumes of autobiography, Pentimento and Scoundrel Time. In the decade before her death in 1984, Hellman divided her time between New York and Martha's Vineyard.
Photos
Productions
Writing
Awards and Nominations
Lillian Hellman, The Little Foxes
winner
Lillian Hellman, Toys in the Attic
Lillian Hellman, Toys in the Attic
winner
Lillian Hellman, Watch on the Rhine
Videos
Video: Laura Linney & Jessica Hecht Are Getting Ready to Return to Broadway in SUMMER, 1976
by Nicole Rosky - 2023-03-19 15:00:20
VIDEO: Patti LuPone Shares Memories of Working With Stephen Sondheim and More on LATE NIGHT
by Stephi Wild - 2021-12-14 06:50:37
TV: Condola Rashad & Company Get Ready for Opening Night of SAINT JOAN
by Nicole Rosky - 2018-04-10 09:41:47
VIDEO: Lyric Stage Company of Boston Announces 2018 Season; THE WOLVES, THE LITTLE FOXES, and More!
by Alan Henry - 2018-03-30 12:14:27
VIDEO: On This Day, August 25: Happy Birthday, Leonard Bernstein!
by A.A. Cristi - 2017-08-25 00:01:00
VIDEO: Roll Call! LITTLE FOXES Stars Laura Linney & Cynthia Nixon Reveal Which Iconic Roles They'd Love to Play
by Caryn Robbins - 2017-05-16 07:49:31
Tony Awards Close-Up: THE LITTLE FOXES' Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon Prove Two Is Better Than One
by Marissa Sblendorio - 2017-05-14 13:00:02
VIDEO: Laura Linney Explains Origin of Alternating 'LITTLE FOXES' Roles with Co-Star
by Caryn Robbins - 2017-05-04 10:36:18
VIDEO: Cynthia Nixon Talks Alternating Roles in Broadway's THE LITTLE FOXES
by Caryn Robbins - 2017-04-26 13:29:16
TV: Cynthia Nixon and Laura Linney Celebrate the Drama of Dual Roles in THE LITTLE FOXES on Opening Night
by TV - Opening Night Special - 2017-04-20 14:42:48
TV: Double Trouble- Watch Cynthia Nixon and Laura Linney Perform the Same Scene from THE LITTLE FOXES
by Nicole Rosky - 2017-04-23 15:00:01
TV: Watch Highlights of Both Laura Linney & Cynthia Nixon in THE LITTLE FOXES!
by Nicole Rosky - 2017-04-18 16:43:12
VIDEO: Cynthia Nixon Talks Challenge of Alternating Roles in Broadway's THE LITTLE FOXES
by Caryn Robbins - 2017-04-14 12:37:35
New Play Reading Podcast Releases April Episodes with Cast Members from Waitress, Bonnie & Clyde and More!
by A.A. Cristi - 2017-04-03 18:57:21
News
by Stephi Wild - Jun 5, 2026
Performances have begun for the limited 15-week engagement of Eric Bentley’s 1972 docudrama, ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN, directed by Tony Award-winning director Anna D. Shapiro at New York City Center Stage I. Check out photos here!
by Stephi Wild - May 18, 2026
Initial casting has been announced for a new production of Eric Bentley’s 1972 play, ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN, directed by Tony Award-winning director Anna D. Shapiro.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 12, 2026
Tickets are now available for a new production of Eric Bentley’s 1972 play, Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been, beginning a limited 15-week engagement at New York City Center Stage I.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 28, 2026
Laura Linney will star in the world premiere of Montauk by David Hare and directed by Daniel Sullivan at Manhattan Theatre Club. The production will open on Broadway at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in Spring 2027.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 31, 2026
Performances are now underway for Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of The Balusters, a new play by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Meet the cast of The Balusters here!
by Stephi Wild - Mar 27, 2026
Performances are underway for the Roundabout Theatre Company production of Fallen Angels by Noël Coward, directed by Tony Award-nominee Scott Ellis. Meet the cast of Fallen Angels here!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 2, 2026
City Lit Theater has revealed programming for the 2026–27 season. The four-play season will include one world premiere adaptation, two world premieres of new plays, and a new staging of August Wilson’s King Hedley II.
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 11, 2026
Ghost Light Collective will present SCRATCH NIGHT, written and performed by members of the collective. The production will be presented at Pine Box Rock Shop.
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 4, 2026
Christopher Koelsch, the Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco President and CEO of LA Opera, has announced details for the company's 2026/27 season, which will launch on October 17, 2026.
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 13, 2026
Albuquerque Little Theatre will present THE CHILDREN’S HOUR, Lillian Hellman’s landmark drama, from January 30 through February 8, 2026, at its historic venue in Albuquerque.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 13, 2026
Ambition, avarice and intrigue punctuate Island City Stage's production of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes, a searing Broadway and silver screen classic now showing through February 1. Tickets are on sale now.
by Stephi Wild - Jan 9, 2026
South Coast Repertory will open 2026 with a rotating repertory of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton.
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 29, 2025
Island City Stage will present THE LITTLE FOXES by Lillian Hellman as part of its Fort Lauderdale season. The production is directed by Michael Leeds and features a cast of regional and national performers.
by Gillian Blum - Dec 27, 2025
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced the members of his inaugural committee, including familiar theater faces like Cole Escola, Cynthia Nixon, John Turturro, and Julio Torres.
by Jose German Martinez Paneque - Dec 17, 2025
La estrella del West End Madalena Alberto ofrecerá un concierto íntimo en la sala Encuentro le la localidad barcelonesa de Abrera el próximo 28 de febrero.
by Nicole Rosky - Dec 14, 2025
Cynthia Nixon has a lot to celebrate this holiday season! The acclaimed actress is back on Broadway Marjorie Prime, now running at the Hayes Theatre. On opening night, she hit the red carpet to share some of her favorite holiday tunes.
by Stephi Wild - Nov 20, 2025
Second Stage Theater's production of Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime begins previews tonight, November 20, on Broadway, directed by Tony Award Nominee and Obie Award-winner Anne Kauffman. Meet the cast of Marjorie Prime here!
by Amelia Divine - Oct 20, 2025
It’s spooky season, and what’s spookier than a wealthy, greedy family willing to do anything to fulfill their selfish desires? Moral decay lies at the heart of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes, now performing at Intiman Theatre in a production by The Feast. When it premiered in 1939, it shocked audiences with its depiction of avarice, corruption, and gendered power in the American South. Nearly a century later, those same themes still resonate.
by Jennifer Ashley Tepper - Oct 28, 2025
As the fight for women to have equal rights and opportunities has evolved, so has the presence of plays telling these stories. When I wrote my book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out, the first-ever book about female musical theatre writers, I researched many musicals that are in this genre as well.
by Josh Sharpe - Sep 12, 2025
Since the early 1970s, Penelope Wilton has established herself as a major player on the British stage, and we are taking a look back at her expansive theatrical career, just in time for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Lillian Hellman has written 13 shows including The Children's Hour (Playwright), Days to Come (Playwright), The Little Foxes (Playwright), Watch on the Rhine (Playwright), The Searching Wind (Playwright), Another Part of the Forest (Playwright), Montserrat (Playwright), Regina (Source Material), The Autumn Garden (Playwright), Candide (Bookwriter), Toys in the Attic (Playwright), My Mother, My Father and Me (Playwright), Toys in the Attic (Playwright).
Lillian Hellman has been nominated for several awards throughout her career. She was nominated for Outstanding Revival at The Lortels for "The Little Foxes." She also received nominations for Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for both "Toys in the Attic" and "Watch on the Rhine." Additionally, she was nominated for Best Play at the Tony Awards for "Toys in the Attic."
Lillian Hellman has won several awards for her work in the theater. She received the Best American Play award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for her plays "Toys in the Attic" and "Watch on the Rhine". These accolades recognize Hellman's exceptional talent and contribution to American theater.
Videos
