- Hugh Leonard
Hugh Leonard (born John Keyes Byrne in 1926, and known to his friends as "Jack") is an Irish
dramatist andjournalist . His first play, "The Big Birthday Suit," was produced by theAbbey Theatre in 1956. Since that time he has been a prolific playwright, with at least 18 plays to his name.Leonard's "Selected Plays of Hugh Leonard" appeared in 1992. He has also written two volumes of autobiography, "Home Before Night" (1979) and "Out After Dark" (1989). Some of his essays and journalism are collected in "Leonard's Last Book" (1978) and "A Peculiar People and Other Foibles" (1979). Until 2006 he wrote a humorous monthly column, "The Curmudgeon", for the "
Sunday Independent " newspaper. He has a passion for cats, and restaurants, and an abhorrence ofGay Byrne ."Sunday Independent", "Portrait of the legendary artist as an 80-year-old", November 12, 2006] During the 1960s and 1970s, Leonard adapted a number of classic novels for British television. In 1969, he won aJacob's Award for his TV scripts for "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Wuthering Heights ".Three of Leonard's plays have been presented on Broadway "
The au Pair Man ", in 1973, "Da " (1978) and "A Life " (1980). [ibdb name|6394] Of these, "Da" was the most successful, running for 20 months and 697 performances. [ibdb title|4057|Da] and earning Leonard aTony Award and aDrama Desk Award . [IBDB [http://ibdb.com/awardproduction.asp?id=4057 Da:Awards] ] It was made into a film in fy|1988 starringMartin Sheen andBarnard Hughes , who reprised his Tony Award-winning Broadway performance. [imdb name|0094934|Da]Leonard grew up in
Dalkey , inDun Laoghaire-Rathdown County ,Ireland , where he was educated at Harold Boy's National School Dalkey. Now retired as a "Sunday Independent" columnist, he still displays an acerbic humour. In an interview with Brendan O'Connor he was asked if it galled him that Gay Byrne was now writing his old column. His reply was, "It would gall me more if he was any good at it." Leonard is patron of the Dublin Theatre Festival.Notes
External links
* [http://www.irishwriters-online.com/hughleonard.html Hugh Leonard at Irish Writers Online]
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