born July 18, 1906, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.
died Aug. 14, 1963, Hollywood, Calif.
U.S. playwright.
He acted with repertory companies in 192328 and joined the Group Theatre in 1931. His first play, the social-protest drama Waiting for Lefty (1935), helped establish his and the company's reputation. He followed it with Awake and Sing! (1935) and Golden Boy (1937). In the late 1930s he moved to Hollywood, where he wrote screenplays and directed the movies None but the Lonely Heart (1944) and The Story on Page One (1959). His later plays include The Big Knife (1949), The Country Girl (1950), and The Flowering Peach (1954).
Clifford Odets.
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