Samuel Shepard Rogers III was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, author, and musician whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays and several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. His accolades include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Drama Desk Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award, and a record 10 Obie Awards, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards, an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994. The New York magazine described Shepard as "the greatest American playwright of his generation."
