Warren Leight

Photo of Warren Leight

Biography

The New York native crafted a memory play that explored the familial relationships among a jazz trumpeter, his alcoholic wife and their son caught in the middle. Originally produced in a small theater off-off-Broadway, the show transferred to off-Broadway and then finally to Broadway (with Christian Slater in the leading role) where it was one of the three finalists for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

Leight grew up in Manhattan as what he …

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Job Title

Actor, Director, Writer

Born

November 30, 1955

Career Milestones

Raised in NYC

Worked a variety of odd jobs, including as freelance journalist, joke writer, stand-up comic and teacher

Wrote or rewrote screenplays for a Manhattan-based low-budget exploitation production company (Troma)

1977

After graduating college, worked as a house painter in Northern California

1977

Returned to NYC when his mother became ill

1980

First screenplay produced, the low-budget thriller "Mother's Day",; co-wrote with director Charles Kaufman; credited as Warren D Leight

1984

Contributed to the syndicated TV series "National Lampoon's Hot Flashes"

1985

Contributed to the Off-Broadway musical revue "Mayor!"

1988

Was one of three credited writers for the script of Doris Dorre's "Me and Him"

1993

Feature directorial debut, "The Night We Never Met"; also debut as solo screenwriter

1996

First prodcution of his autobiographical play "Side Man" at Manhattan's West Bank Cafe

1996

Wrote the original script for "Dear God"; Leight has said that after several drafts the project was taken away from him and 11 other writers worked on film but he shared screen credit in the released version; referred to it as "a humiliating disaster"

1998

"Side Man" opened Off-Off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company (CSC) then transferred Off-Broadway to Roundabout Theater and later to Broadway (with Christian Slater in a leading role); play was finalist for 1999 Pulitzer Prize; also received Tony nomination as Best Play

1999

New play "The Glimmer Brothers" premiered at Williamstown Theater Festival

2000

Signed to write screenplay for sequel to "The Commitments"

2001

Premiered revised version of "The Glimmer Brothers", now called "Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine", at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A.

Awards

1999

Tony Award for Play