Tennessee Williams

Born in March 1911, Thomas Lanier “Tennessee” Williams spent much of his childhood growing up in Clarksdale. He later moved with his family to St. Louis and, from 1929 to 1931, attended the University of Missouri, studying journalism. During his junior year, his father pulled him out of school and put him to work. Williams hated his job and retreated into writing.

At age 28, Williams moved to New Orleans and changed his name to Tennessee. His first play was not a hit, but Tennessee persisted, revising it as Orpheus Descending. It was later adapted for the cinema as The Fugitive Kind.

On March 31, 1945, The Glass Menagerie opened on Broadway and was hailed by critics and audiences. Two years later, A Streetcar Named Desire opened, followed by Camino Real, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Sweet Bird of Youth. In total, Williams’s work would earn him four New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1979, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Tennessee Williams died in New York City on February 25, 1983. Today, he is considered one of America’s foremost playwrights – remembered for his remarkable characters and honest writing style.