Information AboutAlfred Uhry |
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Born in Atlanta, Georgia , Uhry graduated from Brown University . Uhry's early work for the stage was as a lyricist and Librettist for a number of largely unsuccessful Musicals , including '' America's Sweetheart '' about Al Capone and a revival of '' Little Johnny Jones '' starring Donny Osmond . His first major success was '' The Robber Bridegroom '' ( 1975 ), a musical composed by Robert Waltman based on a Novella by Eudora Welty . Uhry received his first Tony award nomination for this play. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the 1988 Film '' Mystic Pizza ''. ATLANTA TRILOGY ''Driving Miss Daisy'' ( 1987 ) is the first in what is known as his "Atlanta Trilogy" of plays, all set during the first half of the 20th Century . The play earned him the Pulitzer Prize For Drama . It deals with the relationship between an elderly Jewish woman and her black Chauffeur . He adapted it into the screenplay for a 1989 Film starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman , an adaptation which was awarded the Academy Award For Writing Adapted Screenplay . The second of the trilogy, '' The Last Night Of Ballyhoo '' ( 1996 ), is set in 1939 during the premiere of the film '' Gone With The Wind ''. It deals with a Jewish family during an important social event. It was commissioned for the Cultural Olympiad in Atlanta which coincided with the 1996 Summer Olympics , and received the Tony Award For Best Play . The third was a 1998 musical called '' Parade '', about the 1913 Lynching of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank . The Book For The Play earned him a Tony Award For Best Book Of A Musical . |
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