We’re just learning this morning that famed actor, playwright and director Sam Shepard died last Thursday at the age of 73 due to complications of ALS. Best known to movie audiences for his portrayal of Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (a performance that earned him an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor). Despite regularly appearing in films like Frances (where he met longtime love Jessica Lange during production), Baby Boom, Steel Magnolias, and Midnight Special, as well as in various television roles, Shepard is primarily known as an accomplished playwright who won a Pulitzer for his 1978 work Buried Child. Being so multi-talented in various fields means that Shepard’s loss hits especially hard. R.I.P. to an absolute creative genius whose voice will continue to resonate throughout the arts.
