The most influential writer in the Off Broadway movement, Sam Shepard took his last breath at his home in Kentucky and died at 73 on July 30, reported by the Guardian. He was one of the finest American playwright, actor, screen writer, author, and director for over past 50 years.
According to Chris Boneau, a spokesman for Shepard family, he died because of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as motor neuron disease, CNN reported.
Shepard was an all rounder
Shepard had won the Pulitzer Prize for his drama "Buried Child" in 1979 and was also praised for "Curse of the Starving Class (1978)" and "A Lie of the Mind (1985)." As an author, he had written forty-four plays including several short story books, memoirs, and essays.
He was also in the Oscar nomination for playing the role of Chuck Yeager in "The Right Stuff (1983)." Bloodline (TV series) is the latest work by Shepard in which he played the role of Robert Rayburn. He was also reviewed for his acting in the Off Broadway productions "A Number" in 2004.
Shepard was born in 1945 in Illinois. His mother was a teacher and father was a farmer who served in the air force of the United States. Back in the 1960s, he started his career by writing plays. In 1978, he stepped into the acting world and received his first role in "Days of Heaven" by Terrence Malick. He also worked in The Pelican Brief, Black Hawk Down, August: Osage Country, Baby Boom, Steel Magnolias, and The Notebook.
He said, "Back then, there was a dearth of American theatre. There was nothing going on. American art was starving," according to the Guardian.
Shepard's notable work
His work included Icarus's Mother, Chicago, Red Cross and La Turista for which he won Obie Awards in 1965 and 1966. He came out as a screenwriter with Robert Frank's Me and My Brother in 1968.
For Buried Child and True West, he was nominated for Tony award. As a director, Shepard directed many of his plays and two American films: Far North (1988) and Silent Tongue (1993). He also worked with Bob Dylan in his song Brownsville Girl. He was admired as the character actor than an A-lister.
In an interview with the New York Times, he said that he was uncomfortable on stage than on screen.
He said," You don’t have to do anything in the movies.I find the whole situation of confronting an audience terrifying."
Shepard finished his role in the American thriller "Neve Here" which starred Mireille Enos. He married O-Lan Jones in 1969 and couple divorced in 1984. In 1982, he partnered with Jessica Lange. He was the father of three children.
