Richard Alfieri (born April 9, 1948) to Sam and Nena Alfieri is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, screenplay writer, novelist,

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

, and actor. His awards include two Writers Guild Awards and an

Emmy nomination The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

Career

A graduate of Yale University, Alfieri began his professional career in New York City, where he studied with

Sanford Meisner Sanford Meisner (August 31, 1905 – February 2, 1997) was an American actor and acting teacher who developed an approach to acting instruction that is now known as the Meisner technique. While Meisner was exposed to method acting at the Group ...

at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Alfieri's first professional acting role was as Matt in '' The Fantasticks'' at the Rochester Music Theater. Alfieri

He later starred on Broadway in Tennessee Williams' ''

Vieux Carre The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...

'', and

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in '' Awake and Sing'' and ''The Justice Box''. His film-acting credits include ''

Children of Rage Children of Rage is a 1975 film written and directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, filmed mostly in Malta. It deals with the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film stars Helmut Griem, Simon Ward, Cyril ...

'' and ''Echoes'', and he has appeared in episodes of '' Magnum PI'', '' Trapper John, M.D.'', and ''Stories from the Bible''. Alfieri received a Writers Guild Award for the

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

film ''Harvest of Fire''. He won the Grand Prize at the New York Film and Television Festival and a Writers Guild Award nomination for his teleplay for the film ''A Friendship in Vienna''. He also received both a Writers Guild Award and an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination for his work on

Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American producer and screenwriter, who has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear is known for many popular 1970s sitcoms, including the multi-award winning ''All in the Famil ...

’s ABC special ''I Love Liberty''. He wrote the feature film ''Echoes'' and the novel ''Ricardo - Diary of a Matinee Idol'', which he adapted into the screenplay Moonlight Blonde. He also wrote the film adaptation of

Robert James Waller Robert James Waller (August 1, 1939 – March 10, 2017) was an American author best known for '' The Bridges of Madison County'', an enormously successful book in 1993. He was also a photographer and musician. Life Robert James Waller Jr. was ...

's novel '' Puerto Vallarta Squeeze''. His play "The Sisters", suggested by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's '' Three Sisters'', premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse. Alfieri adapted the play for feature-film production, and the film appeared as an Official Selection at the Tribeca Film Festival and Hollywood Film Festival. Alfier's most-recent play, ''Revolutions'', premiered at the Barter Theatre. Alfieri produced the feature film ''Rescue Me'' and executive-produced the NBC film ''False Witness''. His play ''

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks ''Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'' is a 2001 play by American playwright Richard Alfieri. It is a play with only two characters: Lily Harrison, the formidable widow of a Baptist minister, and Michael Minetti, a gay and acerbic dance instructor ...

'' opened on Broadway at the

Belasco Theater The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 and d ...

starring Polly Bergen and

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards f ...

. The play premiered in Los Angeles in 2001 where it set records at the Geffen Playhouse in a production starring the legendary Uta Hagen in her last role. It has since been translated into 14 languages and opened in over 24 countries with productions in cities including Berlin,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Melbourne, Vienna, Madrid, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Amsterdam, Budapest, Helsinki, Prague, Istanbul, Hamburg, Munich, Athens, Seoul, Johannesburg, and London. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, it was performed in 2006 by Todd McKenney and

Nancye Hayes Nancye Lee Bertles AM ( Hayes; born January 1943), billed under her maiden name as Nancye Hayes, is an Australian actress, dancer, singer and choreographer/director and narrator. She has been a leading figure in Australian musical theatre sin ...

and became the most successful play in the Ensemble Theatre's 58-year history. Other international stars who have played the leading role of Lily include Leslie Caron, Constance Towers, Claire Bloom, Loretta Swit,

Elke Sommer Elke Sommer (; born Elke Baronin von Schletz, 5 November 1940) is a German actress. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in ''The Pink Panther (1963 film), The Pink Panther'' sequel ''A S ...

Lola Herrera María Dolores Herrera Arranz Medal of Merit in Labour, MML (June 30, 1935) better known as Lola Herrera is an awarded Spain, Spanish actress. Biography She was born in the Barrio de Las Delicias, Valladolid, Castilla y León. She started i ...

, Miriam Zohar,

Mitsuko Kusabue Mitsuko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings The name Mitsuko is generally written with the kanji characters 光 and 子 which, when translated into English can mean "light, child" or "shining, child".http://www.20knames.com/femal ...

, and The Kessler Twins. Alfieri adapted ''

'' into a feature film starring

Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an American retired actress, whose career in film, stage, and television has spanned seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she is known for her collaborations ...

, which was released in 2014.

Works

Plays

* ''

Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks ''Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'' is a 2001 play by American playwright Richard Alfieri. It is a play with only two characters: Lily Harrison, the formidable widow of a Baptist minister, and Michael Minetti, a gay and acerbic dance instructor ...

'', 1st Produced: Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles, USA, 2001,

Samuel French, Inc. Samuel French, Inc. is an American company, founded by Samuel French and Thomas Hailes Lacy, who formed a partnership to combine their existing interests in London and New York City. It publishes plays, represents authors, and sells scripts fro ...

, New York (2005) * ''The Sisters'', which premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse * ''Starstruck'' * ''Revolutions''

Screenplays

* ''The Sisters'' * ''Puerto Vallarta Squeeze'' (2004) * ''

'' (2014)

Teleplays

* ''Harvest of Fire'' (1996) (TV) * ''A Friendship in Vienna'' (1988) (TV)

Writer

* ''Echoes ''(1983) * ''I Love Liberty'' (1982) (TV)

Novels

* ''Ricardo - Diary of a Matinee Idol'' (1989)

References

External links

* *
"Richard Alfieri", ''Fandango''

"Richard Alfieri", ''Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfieri, Richard 1948 births Living people Male actors from Florida 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers American male screenwriters Novelists from Florida Writers Guild of America Award winners Yale University alumni American male novelists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from Florida