Henley, Beth (1952–)
Henley, Beth (1952–)
American actress, playwright and screenwriter. Born Elizabeth Becker Henley, May 8, 1952, in Jackson, Mississippi; dau. of a lawyer and actress; Southern Methodist University, BFA (1974); attended University of Illinois (1975–76); children: Patrick Henley.
Performed with Dallas Minority Repertory Theater, as well as Salem State Park Theater (1976); began writing plays with one-act Am I Blue, produced at SMU's Margo Jones Theater (1973); lived with and collaborated with actor-director Stephen Tobolowsky on screenplay True Stories, which was made into 1986 movie starring David Byrne; wrote Crimes of the Heart (1978) which won New York Drama Critics Circle Award (1981), Pulitzer Prize (1981) and Tony Award nomination; took play to Broadway's John Golden Theater (1981); also wrote the screenplay (1986), which was nominated for an Academy Award; other plays include The Wake of Jamey Foster (1983), The Miss Firecracker Contest (1985), The Lucky Spot (1987), Abundance (1991), The Debutante Ball (1991), Impossible Marriage (1998), Family Week (2000), Signature (2003) and Revelers (2003).