This week, beloved actor and playwright Sam Shepard died of complications from ALS [1] at the age of 73. His passing was met with an outpouring of emotion from famous fans [2] who have long been inspired by his work; in addition to starring in classic films like The Right Stuff, Steel Magnolias, Black Hawk Down, and The Notebook, Shepard also penned over 40 plays, as well as a handful of books, short stories, memoirs, and essays. It was one of these projects that won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1979.
Shepard took home the Pulitzer Prize for drama thanks to his play Buried Child in 1979. It follows a family during the rural economic slowdown of the 1970s and depicts the disillusionment with the American Dream. It launched Shepard into fame as a playwright, and Buried Child's Broadway production in 1996 also garnered five Tony Award nominations. Shepard was also nominated for two more Drama Prize Pulitzer awards: in 1983 for True West and again the following year for Fool For Love.