Arthur Laurents

From Alfred Hitchcock Wiki

born: 14/Jul/1918 (New York, USA)

[edit] Biography

Arthur Laurents is an American playwright, novelist, screenwriter, librettist and stage director.

He was born in New York City to a Jewish family. After studying at Cornell University and a stint in the Army, he began writing scripts for radio, and in 1945 wrote his first play, Home of the Brave, a drama set during World War II.

During McCarthyism, Laurents was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses and for several years none of his work was used in film. Other plays by Laurents include "Time of the Cuckoo", "Invitation to a March", "The Enclave", and "Jolson Sings Again". He also has written the books for several musicals, including "West Side Story", "Gypsy", "Anyone Can Whistle", and "Do I Hear a Waltz?", which was based on his play "Time of the Cuckoo". Laurents has directed several Broadway productions as well, including the musicals "I Can Get It for You Wholesale" and "La Cage Aux Folles".

Laurents has also written two novels, "The Way We Were", and "The Turning Point", both of which became successful films for which Laurents wrote the screenplays. He also wrote the screenplays for "The Snake Pit", "Anastasia", and the Alfred Hitchcock film "Rope".

In 2000 Laurents published a memoir, "Original Story By". In it, the author reveals that he is homosexual and had relationships with Farley Granger and Tom Hatcher. The latter has been his life partner since 1955.

(Wikipedia)