Tennessee Williams was born in 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi, where his grandfather was the Episcopal clergyman. When his father, a travelling salesman, moved with his family to St Louis some years later, both he and his sister found it impossible to settle down to city life. He entered college during the Depression and left after a couple of years to take a clerical job in a shoe company. He stayed there for two years, spending the evenings writing. He entered the University of Iowa in 1938 and completed his course, at the same time holding a large number of part-time jobs of great diversity. He received a Rockefeller fellowship in 1940 for his play BATTLE OF ANGELS, and he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and in 1955 for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Other plays include SUMMER AND SMOKE, THE ROSE TATTOO, CAMINO REAL, BABY DOLL, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, ORPHEUS DESCENDING, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, and THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY. Tennessee Williams died in 1983.

UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH’S BIOGRAPHY

The University of the South, a national ranked liberal arts college and Episcopal seminary, is the beneficiary of the Tennessee Williams’ estate, including the copyrights to all his works. This gift was made as a memorial to Williams’ grandfather, the Reverend Walter E. Dakin, who studied at the University’s seminary in 1895.

The Walter E. Dakin Memorial Fund is used to support the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, and the School of Letters. The Fund also supports scholarships for students who wish to pursue creative writing and fellowships which are granted annually to budding playwrights or authors.  Those fellows include Ann Patchett, Claire Messud, Tony Early, and Mark Richard.  The Tennessee Williams Center houses the University’s theater department, and a portion of the Fund supports the department and its theatrical productions. 

Visit www.sewanee.edu for more information.

Ensemble Theatre: THE GLASS MENAGERIE is Tom’s professional theatre debut. New Theatre: SIGNIFICANT OTHER. Seymour Centre: THE INHERITANCE, THE PASS. Film: BODY BLOW. Television: JOE VS. CAROLE. Training: National Institute of Dramatic Art.