Sam Shepard

Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, author, and musician whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays and several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. His accolades include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (for his play Buried Child), the Drama Desk Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award, and a record 10 Obie Awards, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards, an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994. The New York magazine described Shepard as "the greatest American playwright of his generation."