William Inge
William Inge | |
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Inge in 1954 | |
| Born | William Motter Inge May 3, 1913 Independence, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | June 10, 1973 (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Independence Community College University of Kansas (BA) Vanderbilt University |
| Occupations | Playwright, novelist |
| Years active | 1947–1973 |
William Motter Inge (/ˈɪndʒ/; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. With his portraits of small-town life and settings rooted in the American heartland, Inge became known as the "Playwright of the Midwest".
During the early 1950s, Inge had a string of memorable Broadway productions, including Picnic, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play twice, for Bus Stop and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. He also won an Academy Award for writing the screenplay to the film Splendor in the Grass (1961).