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Beth Henley Biography (1952-)

Full name, Elizabeth Becker Henley; born May 8, 1952, in Jackson, MS; daughter of Charles Boyce (an attorney) and Elizabeth Josephine (an actress; maidenname, Becker) Henley. Career: Actress and playwright, best known as the author of Crimes of the Heart. Theatre Three, Dallas, TX, actress, 1972-73; Southern Methodist University, Directors Colloquium, Dallas, member of acting ensemble, 1973; Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre, Dallas, teacher of creative dramatics, 1974-75, and actress; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, teacher of beginning acting and Lessac voice technique, 1975-76; New Salem State Park Theatre, in IL, performer; Met Theatre, Los Angeles, member of board of directors. Great American People Show, actress, summer, 1976. Awards, Honors: Co-winner of Great American Playwriting Contest, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, 1978, Susan Smith Blackburn Award nomination, best new American play, 1981, Guggenheim Award from Newsday, 1981,Pulitzer Prize for drama, 1981, Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best play,1981, and New York Drama Critics Circle Award, best new American play, all for Crimes of the Heart; Academy Award nomination, best adapted screenplay, 1986, for Crimes of the Heart. Addresses: Agent: William Morris Agency, 15th Floor, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-6026.

Nationality

American

Gender

Female

Occupation

Playwright, actress

Birth Details

May 8, 1952

Jackson, Mississippi, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Work
• Director, Control Freaks (one-act), Met Theatre, Los Angeles, 1993
• Film Appearances
• Bible pusher, Swing Shift, Warner Bros., 1984
• WRITINGS
• Stage Plays
• Am I Blue? (one-act), Margo Jones Theatre, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, 1973, published by Dramatists Play Service (New York City), 1982
• Crimes of the Heart, Actor's Theatre, Louisville, KY, 1979, then John Golden Theatre, New York City, 1981, published by Dramatists Play Service, 1981
• The Miss Firecracker Contest, Victory Theatre, Los Angeles, 1980,then Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City, 1980, published by Dramatists Play Service, 1985
• The Wake of Jamey Foster, Hartford Stage Theatre, Hartford, CT, 1982, then Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 1982, published by DramatistsPlay Service, 1985
• The Debutante Ball, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Costa Mesa, CA,1985, published by University Press of Mississippi (Jackson, MS), 1991
• The Lucky Spot, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA, 1986, then City Center Theatre, New York City, 1987, published by Dramatists Play Service, 1987
• Abundance, South Coast Repertory Theatre, 1989, then Manhattan Theatre Club, City Center Theatre, 1990, published by Dramatists Play Service, 1991
• Signatures, New York Stage and Film Company, Poughkeepsie, NY, 1990, then Charlotte Repertory Theatre, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Charlotte, NC, 1995
• Control Freaks (one-act), Center Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1992, thenMet Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 1993
• Revelers, New Stage & Film Company, New York City, 1994
• L-Play (composed of eight small plays), Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stockbridge, MA, 1995
• Impossible Marriage, Roundabout Theatre, New York City, 1998-99
• Screenplays
• (With David Byrne and Stephen Tobolowsky) True Stories, Warner Bros., 1986
• Crimes of the Heart (based on her play), Dino De Laurentiis, 1986
• Nobody's Fool, Island, 1986
• Miss Firecracker (based on her play The Miss Firecracker Contest), Corsair, 1989
• Come West with Me (based on her play Abundance), TwentiethCentury-Fox, 1998
• Also author of Long and Happy Life and Strawberry.
• Television Scripts
• Morgan's Daughters (pilot), Paramount, 1979
• (With Budge Threlkeld) Survival Guides, PBS, 1985
• "How to Survive a Family Tree," Trying Times, PBS, 1987
• Other
• Beth Henley: Monologues for Women, Dramaline Publications, 1992

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

• Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series, Volume 32, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1991.

Periodicals:

• American Film, December 1986, pp. 30-31.
• Back Stage, March 24, 1995, p. 23.
• Interview, February 24, 1987, p. 85.
• New York Times, October 25, 1981, .*