Known for movies

Short Info

SpouseKathryn Layng, Ophelia Chong
FactHis play, "Chinglish", at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2011 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for New Work of a Play.


David Henry Hwang is an American playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He is the author of M. Butterfly, which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1988, and was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. He has also written for film and television, including the screenplay for the film version of M. Butterfly and the libretto for the Broadway musical Aida.

Hwang was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 11, 1957, to Chinese immigrant parents. His father was a Presbyterian minister and his mother was a schoolteacher. He has two older sisters. Hwang was educated at Stanford University, where he received his BA in English in 1979 and his MFA in playwriting in 1982.

Hwang’s first play, FOB, was produced Off-Broadway in 1980. His second play, The Dance and the Railroad, was produced on Broadway in 1981. His third play, M. Butterfly, was produced on Broadway in 1988 and won the Tony Award for Best Play. The play was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jeremy Irons and John Lone.

Hwang has also written for film and television, including the screenplay for the film version of M. Butterfly and the libretto for the Broadway musical Aida. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Hwang is married to actress Kathryn Layng. They have two children.

General Info

Full NameDavid Henry Hwang
ProfessionAuthor, Playwright, Film producer, Screenwriter, Lyricist, Librettist
EducationStanford University, Yale School of Drama
NationalityAmerican

Family

SpouseKathryn Layng, Ophelia Chong
ParentsDorothy Hwang, Henry Yuan Hwang

Accomplishments

AwardsTony Award for Best Play, Obie Award for Best New American Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, Outer Critics Circle Award for John Gassner Playwriting Award, Obie Award for Playwriting, Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Broadway...
NominationsPulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play, New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
MoviesM. Butterfly, Possession, White Frog, Golden Gate, Yellow Face, Sound of a Voice, Bondage

Social profile links

Quotes

#Quote
1The film world is very different now than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Big studios rarely invest nowadays in "artistic" pictures, which are likely to be made from plays. So a play will probably become an indie movie, which is more like doing an Off-Broadway show -- less money, but more artistic control. I'll see how my process with "Chinglish" works out before offering any advice.
2[on his screen play for 'Chinglish'] There are just so many fundamental misunderstandings about our two cultures. About ideas that Americans tend to think of as intrinsic, like the role of love in long-term marriages. We don't have a term in English for 'qingyi' [a notably long marital partnership]. 'Love' is a clumsy word the way we use it. It can mean anything from altruistic love to brotherly love to lust.

Facts

#Fact
1He was awarded the 2006-2007 OBIE Award for Playwriting for "Yellow Face" at the Public Theater in New York City.
2He was awarded the 2008 Back Stage Garland Award for Playwriting for "Yellow Face" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
3His play, "Yellow Face," was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2008.
4He was awarded for a 2002 Back Stage Garland Award for Best Adaptation for "Flower Drum Song" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
5He was nominated for a 2003 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Book of a Musical for "Flower Drum Song" on Broadway in New York City.
6His version of the musical, "Flower Drum Song" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California was awarded the 2002 Back Stage Garland Award for Production.
7According to the AFI's "Private Screenings," "Apocalypse Now" is his favorite film.
8His play, "Chinglish", at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for the 2011 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Production of a Play (Large).
9His play, "Chinglish", at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2011 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for New Work of a Play.
10Nominated for the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the play "M. Butterfly" and for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the play "Yellow Face".
11Won Broadway's 1988 Tony Award as author of Best Play winner "M. Butterfly." He was also nominated two other times: in 1998 as author of Best Play nominee "Golden Child," and in 2003 as Best Book (Musical) for a revival and revision of "Flower Drum Song."

Pictures

Movies

Writer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Last Vow2016Short
The AffairTV Series 1 episode, 2016 written by - 2 episodes, 2015
Work/Life2016Short
PSA2016Short
Bondage2015based on play
Yellow Face2013original story
Icarus at the Edge of Time2010Short adaptation
Unsuk Chin: Alice in Wonderland2007TV Movie libretto
Sound of a Voice2003Short play "The Sound of a Voice"
Possession2002screenplay
The Lost Empire2001TV Mini-Series written by - 2 episodes
Golden Gate1993written by
M. Butterfly1993play / screenplay
Alive from Off Center1991TV Series writer - 1 episode
Forbidden Nights1990TV Movie story - as David Hwang
Blind Alleys1985TV Movie as David Hwang
Joseph Papp Presents: The Dance and the Railroad1982TV Movie

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Affair2015TV Series consulting producer - 10 episodes
Yellow Face2013producer
White Frog2012executive producer
The Lost Empire2001TV Mini-Series co-producer - 2 episodes
M. Butterfly1993executive producer

Miscellaneous

TitleYearStatusCharacter
White Frog2012script advisor
DirecTV Movie Showcase2000TV Series creative director - as David Hwang, 2000
Picture Bride1994script advisor

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
White Frog2012Pastor

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Working in the Theatre1996-2012TV Series documentaryHimself
Invitation to World Literature2010TV Series documentaryHimself
Joe Papp in Five Acts2010DocumentaryHimself
American Masters2009TV Series documentaryHimself
Long Story Short2008Video documentaryHimself
Hollywood Chinese2007DocumentaryHimself
A Classic Evolves: From Print to Stage to Screen2006Video documentary shortHimself
An All-Access Pass to the Sets and Costumes of 'Flower Drum Song'2006Video documentary shortHimself
Faces of the East: Casting Flower Drum Song2006Video documentary shortHimself
Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde2004TV Movie documentaryHimself
Charlie Rose2000TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Asian Pride Porn2000ShortHimself
Literary Visions1992TV Series documentaryHimself
The 42nd Annual Tony Awards1988TV SpecialHimself - Winner: Best Play

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia

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