Frank Daniel Gilroy (October 13, 1925 – September 12, 2015) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film producer and director. He received the

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non-musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first yea ...

and the

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

for his play ''

The Subject Was Roses ''The Subject Was Roses'' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning 1964 play written by Frank D. Gilroy, who also adapted the work in 1968 for a film with the same title. Background The play premiered on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on May 25, 1964, st ...

'' in 1965.

Early life

Gilroy was born on October 13, 1925 in New York City, the son of Bettina (née Vasti) and Frank B. Gilroy, a coffee broker. His father was Irish American and his mother was of Italian and German descent. Gilroy lived in the Bronx for most of his childhood and attended

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduation. He served two and a half years in the 89th Division, of which eighteen months were in the

European Theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

. After the war, Gilroy attended Dartmouth College, where he edited ''

The Dartmouth ''The Dartmouth'' is the daily student newspaper at Dartmouth College and America's oldest college newspaper. Originally named the ''Dartmouth Gazette'', the first issue was published on August 27, 1799, under the motto "Here range the world— ...

'', the campus newspaper, and wrote for ''

Jack-o-Lantern A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin or a root vegetable such as a rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the reported phenomen ...

'', the college humor magazine. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1950. In 1966, he received an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

. He also received a grant from Dartmouth that allowed him to attend the Yale School of Drama.

Writing career

Gilroy wrote in the Golden Age of Television for such shows as '' Playhouse 90'', ''

Westinghouse Studio One ''Studio One'' is an American anthology drama television series that was adapted from a radio series. It was created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. It premiered on November 7, 1948 and ended on Sept ...

'', ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U. S ...

'', '' Omnibus'', '' Kraft Television Theatre'', and ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vid ...

''. His entrance to theatre was marked with his 1962 play ''Who'll Save the Plowboy?'' at the off-Broadway Phoenix Theatre, which won the Obie Award. The play follows Albert Cobb, a man who once dreamed of owning a farm, becoming a plowboy. He and his wife Helen are awaiting to be reunited fifteen years after World War II, along with Larry Doyle, the man who saved his life. The title comes from when they were in the war, and Albert was staked as bait by the Germans, and Larry kept shouting "Who'll Save the Plowboy?" until he finally crept out and saved him. ''

'' premiered on Broadway on May 25, 1964 and closed on May 21, 1966. The two-act play has been compared to

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

's '' Long Day's Journey Into Night''.

Walter Kerr Walter Francis Kerr (July 8, 1913 – October 9, 1996) was an American writer and Broadway theatre critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals as well as the author of several books, genera ...

said of the show: "a family triangle in which a father loves a son and the mother loves that son and the son loves both mother and father and not one of them can make a move or utter a sound that does not instantly damage the other." ''That Summer, That Fall'', which had a brief run on Broadway in 1967, starring

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee. Daly began her career on stage in summer stock in New York, ...

and

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas ( el, Ειρήνη Παππά, Eiríni Pappá, ; born Eirini Lelekou ( el, Ειρήνη Λελέκου, Eiríni Lelékou, link=no); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred ...

is a version of the Hippolytus-

Phaedra Phaedra may refer to: Mythology * Phaedra (mythology), Cretan princess, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus Arts and entertainment * ''Phaedra'' (Alexandre Cabanel), an 1880 painting Film * ''Phaedra'' (film), a 1962 film by ...

story. The play is set in an Italian neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in an apartment complex. Gilroy's works include screenplays for the films '' Desperate Characters'' (starring Shirley MacLaine) and '' The Gallant Hours'' (starring James Cagney). He has also adapted his own plays for film, including ''

'' (starring

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal, January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. A major star of the 1950s and 1960s, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and two ...

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

and

Jack Albertson Harold Albertson (June 16, 1907 – November 25, 1981), known professionally as Jack Albertson, was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in variety. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor. For his perfo ...

) and '' The Only Game in Town'' (starring Elizabeth Taylor and

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

). His 1985 screenplay for ''The Gig'' (starring

Cleavon Little Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He began his career in the late 1960s on the stage. In 1970, he starred in the Broadway production of '' Purlie'', for which he earned both ...

and

Wayne Rogers William Wayne McMillan Rogers III (April 7, 1933 – December 31, 2015) was an American actor, known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the CBS television series ''M*A*S*H'' and as Dr. Charley Michaels on '' House Calls ...

) has been adapted as a musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen. A 2006 Off-Broadway presentation and recording by the

York Theatre Company York Theatre is an off-Broadway theatre company based in East Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In its 50th year, York Theatre is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each se ...

starred

Karen Ziemba Karen Ziemba (born November 12, 1957) is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre. In 2000, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''Contact''. Biography Ziem ...

, Stephen Berger,

Michele Pawk Michele Pawk (born November 16, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is also an associate professor for theatre. Biography Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, Pawk attended Allegheny College and the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, ...

, and Michael McCormick. Gilroy has also written fiction, including the novel ''From Noon Till Three'', which was adapted into a film starring Charles Bronson. In addition to writing the screenplay, Gilroy also directed the film. Gilroy also contributed to several TV

westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

in the late 1950s, including '' Have Gun – Will Travel'', ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'', and '' Wanted: Dead or Alive''. He also created the popular TV series '' Burke's Law''. His later credits include ''

Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery (fiction), mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West ...

'', a 1977 adaptation of

Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...

's novel '' The Doorbell Rang'' as a television movie with

Thayer David Thayer David (born David Thayer Hersey; March 4, 1927 – July 17, 1978) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his work on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971), and as the fight promoter Miles ...

. Gilroy's play ''Far Rockaway'' was used as the basis for ''The Hero'', a one-act television opera by

Mark Bucci Mark Bucci (26 February 1924, New York City – 22 August 2002, Camp Verde, Arizona) was an American composer, lyricist, and dramatist. Influenced by Giacomo Puccini, his work is composed in a contemporary yet lyrical style, which frequently empl ...

premiered in 1965 on

National Educational Television National Educational Television (NET) was an American educational broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It operated from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970, and ...

Advocacy

A supporter and advocate for writers' rights in theatre, Gilroy was a member of the

Dramatists Guild of America The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. Membership as an Associate Member is open to any person having written at least one stage play. Active M ...

. In 1968, he was elected as the fourteenth president of the non-profit organization. He continued his presidency at the Guild until 1971.

Personal life

Gilroy's three sons, from his marriage to sculptor/writer Ruth Dorothy Gaydos, are involved in the film industry.

Tony Gilroy Anthony Joseph Gilroy (born September 11, 1956) is an American filmmaker. He wrote the screenplays for the original '' Bourne'' trilogy (2002–2007) and wrote and directed the fourth film of the franchise, '' The Bourne Legacy'' (2012). He also ...

and

Dan Gilroy Daniel Christopher Gilroy (born June 24, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for writing and directing '' Nightcrawler'' (2014), for which he won Best Screenplay at the 30th Independent Spirit Awards, and was n ...

are screenwriters and directors, while John Gilroy is a film editor. Frank Gilroy died on September 12, 2015 in Monroe, New York.

Works

Plays

* ''The Middle World'' (1949) * ''The Viewing'' (1957) * ''Getting In'' (1957) * ''Who'll Save the Plowboy?'' (1962) * ''

'' (1964) * ''Far Rockaway'' (1965) * ''That Summer, That Fall'' (1967) * '' The Only Game in Town'' (1968) * ''Present Tense: Four Plays'' (1972) ::''Come Next Tuesday'' ::''Twas Brillig'' ::''So Please Be Kind'' ::''Present Tense'' * ''The Next Contestant'' (1979) * ''Last Licks'' (1979) * ''Dreams of Glory'' (1980) * ''Real to Reel'' (1987) * ''Match Point'' (1990) * ''A Way with Words'' (1991) ::''A Way with Words'' ::''Match Point'' ::''Fore!'' ::''Reel to Reel'' ::''Give the Bishop My Faint Regards'' * ''Give the Bishop My Faint Regards'' (1992) * ''Fore'' (1993) * ''Any Given Day'' (1993) * ''Getting In'' (1997) * ''Contact With the Enemy'' * ''The Housekeeper'' * ''The Lake'' * ''Piscary'' * ''The Fastest Gun Alive''

Screenplays

* 1956 ''

The Fastest Gun Alive ''The Fastest Gun Alive'' is a 1956 MGM Western film starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford directed by Russell Rouse. Plot Son of a notorious fast-drawing sheriff, George Kelby Jr. (Ford) and his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) ...

'', with

Russell Rouse Russell Rouse (November 20, 1913 – October 2, 1987) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality" of his screenplays and for film noir movies and television episodes produce ...

* 1958 '' Texas John Slaughter'' * 1959 '' Gunfight at Sandoval'' * 1960 '' The Gallant Hours'', with Beirne Lay, Jr. * 1968 ''

'' * 1970 '' The Only Game in Town'' * 1971 '' Desperate Characters'', also director and producer * 1975 '' John O'Hara's Gibbsville'' (also known as ''The Turning Point of Jim Malloy''), also director * 1976 '' From Noon till Three'', also director and producer * 1978 ''Once in Paris'', also director and producer * 1985 ''The Gig'', also director and producer * 1989 ''The Luckiest Man in the World'', also director

Awards

*1962 Obie Award for ''Who'll Save the Plowboy?'' *1964

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jone ...

Award for ''

'' *1964 Outer Critics Circle Award for ''The Subject Was Roses'' *1964 New York Theatre Club Award for ''The Subject Was Roses'' *1965

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for ''The Subject Was Roses'' *1965 Pulitzer Prize for ''The Subject Was Roses''"Drama"
The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2013-11-02. *1966

from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

*1971

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fes ...

at the

21st Berlin International Film Festival The 21st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 26 June – 6 July 1971. The ''Young Filmmakers Forum'' (in 1987 renamed ''International Forum for New Cinema'') section was introduced at the festival. The Golden Bear was awarded ...

for '' Desperate Characters''

References

External links

* * *
''The Gig''
- ''York Theatre Company'' recording * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilroy, Frank D. 1925 births 2015 deaths American people of Irish descent American writers of Italian descent American people of German descent DeWitt Clinton High School alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Dartmouth College alumni Yale School of Drama alumni 20th-century American novelists Film producers from New York (state) American male novelists American male screenwriters Obie Award recipients Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Tony Award winners 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from the Bronx American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) American people of Italian descent