Charles Gordone
Charles Gordone (birth name: Charles Edward Fleming * 12. October 1925 in Cleveland , Ohio ; † 17th November 1995 in College Station , Texas ) was an American actor and playwright , in 1970 for his play No Place to be Somebody to Pulitzer Prize for Theater , becoming the first African American playwright to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
Life
After attending school, he studied at Los Angeles State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). After he then did his military service in the US Air Force , he began to work as a theater actor. During this time, Gordone, born Charles Edward Fleming, took the name of his stepfather William Gordon, but added an 'e' to him because there was already an actor of the same name with Actors Equity, the stage actors' association of New York City . In 1953 he received the Obie Award for his portrayal in John Steinbeck's Von Mäusen und Menschen .
In the mid-1960s he began his work as a playwright with his debut A Little More Light Around The Place and in the following years wrote numerous plays on the role and situation of African Americans in American society. He already had his greatest success with his second play No Place to be Somebody , for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Theater in 1970 and was thus the first African American to receive this award. He also received the Drama Desk Award for this. In 1971 he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters .
In 1975 he played the role of the preacher 'Preacher Fox' in Coonskin by Ralph Bakshi and in 1987, alongside Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro , 'Spider Simpson' in Angel Heart by Alan Parker .
Dramas
- 1964: A Little More Light Around The Place
- 1969: No Place To Be Somebody
- 1969: Worl's Champeen Lip Dansuh to 'Watah Mellon Jooglah
- 1970: Chumpanzee
- 1970: Gordone Is A Muthah
- 1970: Willy Bignigga
- 1974: Baba Chops
- 1976: The Last Chord
- 1976: Under The Boardwalk
- 1978: A Qualification For Anabiosis
- 1983: anabiosis
- 1983: The Block
Prices
- 1969 Drama Desk Award - No Place to Be Somebody
- 1970 Pulitzer Prize - No Place to Be Somebody
- 1970 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
- 1971 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award
Web links
- Literature by and about Charles Gordone in the catalog of the German National Library
- Charles Gordone in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Charles Gordone in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Publications (openlibrary.org)
- Entry (Complete Guide to Playwrights)
Individual evidence
- ^ Academy Awards . American Academy of Arts and Letters. 2008. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Gordone, Charles |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fleming, Charles Edward (maiden name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American playwright and actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 12, 1925 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Cleveland , Ohio |
DATE OF DEATH | November 17, 1995 |
Place of death | College Station , Texas |