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Tennessee Williams

Date of Death: February 25, 1983 (71)

Birth Place: Columbus, MS, USA

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BIO

One of America's greatest playwrights and certainly the greatest ever from the South, Tennessee Williams wrote fiction and motion picture screenplays, but he is acclaimed primarily for his plays, nearly all of which are set in the South, but which at their best rise above regionalism to approach universal themes. Tennessee Williams drew heavily on his family experiences in his writings. When The Glass Menagerie hit Broadway in 1945, it not only changed Tennessee Williams' life, it revolutionized American theatre. A Streetcar Named Desire, The Night of the Iguana and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof are some of his other masterpieces. Among his many awards, Williams won two Pulitzer Prizes and four New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. In addition to 25 full-length plays, Williams produced dozens of short plays and screenplays, two novels, a novella, 60 short stories, more than 100 poem and an autobiography. His works have been translated into at least 27 languages, and countless productions of his work have been staged around the world.

Photos

Awards and Nominations

Olivier Awards - 2003 - Best Revival

Tennessee WilliamsA Streetcar Named Desire

Tony Awards - 1999 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, Not About Nightingales

Olivier Awards - 1995 - Best Revival of a Play or Comedy

Tennessee WilliamsSweet Bird Of Youth


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1962 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, The Night of the Iguana

Tony Awards - 1962 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, The Night of the Iguana


winner
Evening Standard Awards - 1958 - Best Play

Tennessee WilliamsCat on a Hot Tin Roof

Tony Awards - 1956 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1955 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof


winner
The Pulitzer Prize - 1955 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Tennessee Williams, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof


winner
Tony Awards - 1951 - Best Play

Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1948 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1945 - Best American Play

Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

Videos

News


ROSEMARY PARRILLO'S SPAGHETTI WESTERN Staged Reading is Coming to Cranford Community Center
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 25, 2025

Is the American Dream really within reach or is it just a state of mind? That's what Olivia Forte wonders in Rosemary Parrillo's Spaghetti Western, to be presented at Cranford Community Center. Learn more.
Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival Final Fall Event Set for September
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 13, 2025

The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival will present 20th and final Fall Festival to be held in September, 2025. Learn more and see how to attend.
Irondale To Present Tennessee William' THE NOTEBOOK OF TRIGORIN
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 13, 2025

Irondale has announced its upcoming production of The Notebook of Trigorin, March 28-April 27— Tennessee Williams’ adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull.
Review: The Rocky Yet Enduring Journey of Salindia's Trem Bernama Desire
by Rakaputra Paputungan - Feb 12, 2025

What did our critic think of TREM BERNAMA DESIRE at GRAHA BHAKTI BUDAYA?
ICONS: Two Historic LGBTQ Individuals Put On Stage At The Sargent Theatre of the American Theatre of Actors
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 12, 2025

ICONS: Playwright Carolyn M. Brown will present STORMÉ and Playwright Bernard Taylor present JOHN STILLWAGGON as TENNESSEE WILLIAMS. Running May 26 - June 15 at The Sargent Theatre of the American Theatre of Actors.
Jeremy O. Harris To Lead New WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL As Creative Director
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 11, 2025

Williamstown Theatre Festival has announced the inaugural Creative Collective of a new collaborative leadership model led by Jeremy O. Harris, along with initial projects for the Tony Award-winning theater festival's 71st season.
Video: Robin Lord Taylor and Brandon Flynn Are Taking on Theater Titans in KOWALSKI
by Joey Mervis - Feb 10, 2025

How did one of the greatest American plays come to be? Gregg Ostrin unpacks that very idea in his new off-Broadway play, Kowalski. Watch in this video as Robin Lord Taylor and Brandon Flynn chat more about what audiences can expect.
CONSTELLATIONS by Nick Payne Set for Rubicon Theatre Company Beginning This Month
by Blair Ingenthron - Feb 8, 2025

Rubicon Theatre will continue its 2024/2025 Dare to Dream Season with the Central Coast premiere of CONSTELLATIONS, a romantic drama by Award-winning playwright Nick Payne.
Milton Keynes Theatre Announces The First-Ever Stage Production Of INSPECTOR MORSE
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 8, 2025

Simon Friend Entertainment has announced a new co-production with Birmingham Repertory Theatre which will see Tom Chambers play the beloved detective Inspector Morse in a thrilling new stage production, Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts.
Tom Chambers Will Lead INSPECTOR MORSE: HOUSE OF GHOSTS UK Tour
by Stephi Wild - Feb 5, 2025

Tom Chambers will  play the beloved detective Inspector Morse in a new stage production, Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts. The production opens in Birmingham on Thursday 28 August 2025 ahead of a major UK tour.
Open Space Arts Chicago Premiere of MR. PARKER Extends Run Two Weeks
by Stephi Wild - Feb 5, 2025

Open Space Arts announced that it will extend its Chicago premiere of MR. PARKER, by two weeks, based on its strong sales. Learn more about the show and how to catch it here!
Feature: The Muny’s 30 Nods Leads the St Louis Theater Circle Awards Nominations
by James Lindhorst - Feb 4, 2025

The St. Louis Theater Circle has announced their 2025 nominations for their annual awards. Each year, the Circle honors excellence in professional theater with awards in 34 categories for producing, directing, acting, and technical theatre. This year The Muny leads all companies with 30 nominations spread across their seven musicals presented in their 106th season. STAGES St. Louis, The New Jewish Theatre, and The Repertory Theater of St. Louis earned 19 nominations each. St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s production of AS YOU LIKE IT and STAGES St. Louis production of RAGTIME are the most nominated productions of the year with 10 nods each.
Lois Robbins and Ephraim Birney To Star In Benefit Reading Of THE FUN-ER-AL: A  FUNDRAISING MEMORIAL FOR THE DEATH OF AMERICAN THEATRE
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 3, 2025

Royal Family Productions will present a benefit reading of Artistic Director Chris Henry's new short comedy, inspired by Christopher Durang, titled The Fun-er-al: A  Fundraising Memorial for the Death of the American Theatre.
DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE to Open Next Week at The Filigree Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 31, 2025

Tickets are on sale now for The Filigree Theatre's second production of their Sixth Season, 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,' adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Elizabeth V. Newman. Learn more!
See Joaquina Kalukango, Kerry Ellis & More in February at 54 Below
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 31, 2025

Next month, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. See the full lineup featuring stars including Joaquina Kalukango, Kerry Ellis and more. Learn more.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Comes to Roxy Regional Theatre For Valentine's Day
by Stephi Wild - Jan 31, 2025

The play that earned Tennessee Williams his first Pulitzer Prize is taking the stage of Clarksville's oldest professional theatre for two weekends beginning on Valentine's Day.  
Chester Theatre Company Names New Co-Artistic Directors, Christopher Baker and Michelle Ong-Hendrick
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 30, 2025

Christopher Baker and Michelle Ong-Hendrick have been appointed as the new Co-Artistic Directors of Chester Theatre Company, effective immediately. Learn more!
Boston Court Pasadena Presents The World Premiere Production Of FROU-FROU: A MENAGERIE OF SORTS
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 30, 2025

Boston Court Pasadena opens the world premiere production of Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts, written by John Anthony Loffredo and directed by Zi Alikhan on Saturday, March 1.
Review Roundup: KOWALSKI, Starring Robin Lord Taylor and Brandon Flynn
by Nicole Rosky - Jan 28, 2025

Gregg Ostrin’s Kowalski, directed by Colin Hanlon, just celebrated opening night at The Duke on 42nd Street, where it is set to run through February 23, 2025. Check out what the critics are saying about the new play...
Forrest Malloy's NINA at Theaterlab Adds Performances and Talkbacks With Cat Cohen and Kathryn Gallagher
by Stephi Wild - Jan 28, 2025

Due to popular demand, Nina, a new play by two-time O’Neill semi-finalist Forrest Malloy, has added two performances. Learn more about the upcoming performances here!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Tennessee Williams written?

Tennessee Williams has written 35 shows including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Playwright), You Touched Me (Playwright), Summer and Smoke (Playwright), Orpheus Descending (Lyricist), Garden District (Playwright), Sweet Bird of Youth (Playwright), I Rise in Flames, Cried the Phoenix (Playwright), The Purification (Playwright), Period of Adjustment (Playwright), The Night of the Iguana (Playwright), The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (Playwright), The Rose Tattoo (Playwright), The Seven Descents of Myrtle (Playwright), In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel (Playwright), Camino Real (Playwright), Out Cry (Playwright), Battle of Angels (Playwright), Serafina (Source Material), Summer and Smoke (Playwright), Vieux Carre (Playwright), Clothes for a Summer Hotel (Playwright), Ten by Tennessee (Playwright), Kingdom of Earth (Playwright), The Red Devil Battery Sign (Playwright), Not About Nightingales (Playwright), Tennessee Williams Remembered (Author), Something Cloudy, Something Clear (Playwright), Five By Tenn (Playwright), The Glass Menagerie (Playwright), A Streetcar Named Desire (Playwright), Suddenly Last Summer (Playwright), The Eccentricities Of A Nightingale (Playwright), The Two-Character Play (Playwright), 2 By Tennessee Williams (Playwright), Talisman Roses (Playwright).

What awards has Tennessee Williams been nominated for?

Tennessee Williams has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable nominations include Best Revival at the Olivier Awards for "A Streetcar Named Desire," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "Not About Nightingales," Best Revival of a Play or Comedy at the Olivier Awards for "Sweet Bird Of Youth," Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "The Night of the Iguana," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "The Night of the Iguana," Best Play at the Evening Standard Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," The Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof," Best Play at the Tony Awards for "The Rose Tattoo," Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "A Streetcar Named Desire," and Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "The Glass Menagerie."

What awards has Tennessee Williams won?

Tennessee Williams has won several awards for his plays. Some of his notable wins include the Best American Play award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "The Night of the Iguana," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "A Streetcar Named Desire," and "The Glass Menagerie." He also received the Best Play award from the Evening Standard Awards for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and the Tony Award for Best Play for "The Rose Tattoo." Additionally, Williams was honored with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

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