William Aubert Luce (October 16, 1931 – December 9, 2019) was an American writer, primarily for the stage and television.Barnes, Mik
"William Luce, 'Belle of Amherst' and 'Barrymore' Playwright, Dies at 88"
''The Hollywood Reporter'' December 9, 2019 He wrote several plays which starred

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...

, and specialized in one-person plays.

Early life and education

Luce was born on October 16, 1931, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, to Chauncey Darrel Luce and Eleanor Marie (Kuul) Luce.Mayor, Da
"Belle of Amherst and Barrymore Playwright William Luce Dies at 88"
'Playbill'' December 10, 2019 He majored in piano at college.Ouzounian, Richar
"Solos are William Luce's specialty"
''The Star'' (Toronto), December 17, 2010

Career

Awards and nominations

A member of the Dramatists Guild of America,

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...

, and

Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques SACD, founded as Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques ( en, Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers) on 7 March 1829, is a French collecting society, undertaking collective rights management for authors. The Society manages, promotes ...

, Luce received multiple awards and nominations for his work.

Awards

* 1979 Peabody Award: Masterpiece Radio Theatre, ''Currer Bell, Esquire. Act 1''. * 1979 Edwin Howard Armstrong award: ''Currer Bell, Esquire. Act 1'' (later ''Bronte'') (WGBH production) * 1979 Ohio State award: ''Currer Bell, Esquire. Act 1'' (later ''Bronte'') (WGBH production) * 1987

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...

: ''

The Belle of Amherst ''The Belle of Amherst'' is a one-woman play by William Luce. Based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson from 1830 to 1886, and set in her Amherst, Massachusetts home, the 1976 play makes use of her work, diaries, and letters to recollect her en ...

'' (Thames Television in London)

Nominations

* Writers Guild Award nominee: ''The Last Days of Patton'' (CBS television movie) * Writers Guild Award nominee: ''The Woman He Loved'' (CBS television movie)

Works

Stage

"Playwright William Luce picks his leading characters carefully, because they're usually the only ones in his shows." Luce wrote the one-person play, ''

'', which premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1976, starring

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

, among others, and directed by

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

. After opening on April 28, 1976 at the

Longacre Theatre The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was designed by Henry B. Herts and was named for Longacre Square, now known a ...

, it ran for 116 performances. Subsequently, Harris toured around the country performing the play in multiple regional theatres. His play about

Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature. She enlisted i ...

, ''Bronte'', starring Julie Harris and directed by

, was initially filmed in 1982 in Ireland, after several stage performances, and televised on Public Television in 1985. Harris subsequently performed the play in regional US theatre. His play ''Zelda'', about

Zelda Fitzgerald Zelda Fitzgerald (; July 24, 1900 – March 10, 1948) was an American novelist, painter, dancer, and socialite. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, she was noted for her beauty and high spirits, and was dubbed by her husband F. Scott Fitzgerald ...

, premiered Off-Broadway in 1984 and starred Olga Bellin. Luce turned this play into ''The Last Flapper'', which was performed in regional U.S. theatres initially in 1987 by

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), ''Carrie (1976 film), Carrie'' (1976), and ''Children of a Lesser God (film), Children of a Lesser God' ...

, once again directed by

. He wrote the play, ''Lillian'', about

Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted aft ...

which ran on Broadway in 1986 and starred

Zoe Caldwell Zoe Ada Caldwell, (14 September 1933 – 16 February 2020) was an Australian actress. She was a four-time Tony Award winner, winning Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' Slapstick Tragedy'' (1966), and Best Actress in a Play for '' The Pri ...

. His play, ''Lucifer's Child'', based on the writings of Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen), appeared on Broadway in 1991 and starred Julie Harris. He wrote the play '' Barrymore'', which premiered on Broadway in 1997 and starred

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

Opera

Luce wrote the libretto for the opera ''Gabriel's Daughter'', with music by Henry Mollicone which premiered in 2003 at the Central City Opera House, Colorado.

Television

'' was adapted by Luce for an IBM Television Special, starring Julie Harris and directed by Charles S. Dubin. The TV movie received an Emmy nomination for Best Actress and two Christopher Awards. The record album of the play received a Grammy Award.

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

(London) aired a production of the play starring

Claire Bloom Patricia Claire Bloom (born 15 February 1931) is an English actress. She is known for leading roles in plays such as ''A Streetcar Named Desire,'' ''A Doll's House'', and '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', and has starred in nearly sixty film ...

and directed by Adrian Brown, which received an

in 1987. Luce wrote the screenplays for three television movies, telecast on CBS. ''

The Last Days of Patton ''The Last Days of Patton'' is a 1986 American made-for-television biographical drama film and sequel to the 1970 film ''Patton'', which portrays the last few months of the general's life. George C. Scott reprises the role of General George S ...

'' (1986) starred

George C. Scott George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor, director, and producer who had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his port ...

and

Eva Marie Saint Eva Marie Saint (born July 4, 1924) is an American actress of film, theatre and television. In a career spanning over 70 years, she has won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two Brit ...

; ''The Woman He Loved'' (1988) starred

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

, Anthony Andrews, and Julie Harris with direction by

Charles Jarrott Charles Jarrott (16 June 1927 – 4 March 2011) was a British film and television director. He was best known for costume dramas he directed for producer Hal B. Wallis, among them '' Anne of the Thousand Days'', which earned him a Golden Glob ...

; and '' Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter'' (1991) starred

Frances Fisher Frances Louise Fisher (born May 11, 1952) is a British-born American actress. She began her career in theatre and later starred as record executive Suzette 'Red' Saxon in the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Guiding Light'' (1985). In film, she is ...

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...

and

Maurice Benard Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. In 1993, he was cast as Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Early life and career Benard was born Mauricio José Morales in Martinez, California, the son of Mar ...

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

, also directed by Charles Jarrott.

Literary executor

Luce's literary executor is author Grant Hayter-Menzies of Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.

Personal life and death

Luce was with his longtime partner, Ray Lewis, for 50 years. Lewis was a designer of furniture and created an award-winning line the Fauna Collection, hand sculpted chairs in wood with animal motifs and then cast in metal. In the early 1950s, Luce and Lewis moved from Oregon to settle in Southern California and Mariposa before returning to Oregon to live on the Pacific Coast in Depoe Bay from 1991 to 2001 when Lewis died at age 83.Obituary''News Times'' (Newport, Oregon) newportnewstimes.com, June 22, 2011 Luce remained in their home until 2015 when he moved to Arizona, where he died from Alzheimer's disease in Green Valley on December 9, 2019, at the age of 88. He is buried there in the Green Valley Cemetery (Sahuarita, Arizona).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Luce, William 2019 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Portland, Oregon 1931 births American opera librettists 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights American television writers American male television writers American male screenwriters Screenwriters from Oregon American gay writers American LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT people from Oregon 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers