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Birth
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dennis (professor and actor) and Billie (journalist and novelist) Letts have their third son, Tracy Shane Letts. His older brothers are named Shawn and Dana. -
Grandparents HIstory
When Letts was 10 years old, his grandfather in his mother's side committed suicide. His grandmother, from the same side of the family, was a drug addict.
(https://www.nytimes.com/) -
High School Graduation
Letts graduated from Durant High School in the early 1980s. -
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Moving from Durant
Letts moved to Dallas, Texas after high school and waited tables while building his theater career. In his 20s, he moves again to Chicago, Illinois to continue with acting and writing. -
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Theatre Experience
Letts worked at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company for 11 years as an actor and later as a playwright (he is still involved today with this theatre). He was in productions such as "The Glass Menagerie" and "Picasso At the Lapin Agile".
Letts also worked at The Famous Door and was a founding member of Bang Band Spontaneous Theatre. -
Killer Joe - Play
Letts wrote "Killer Joe" in 1991, and two years later, he and some actors help make it. The play launched in Evanston, Illinois, off Broadway, and was later well-received to be apart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The plot for this play goes as: "a Texas family that enlists the titular murderer-for-hire to kill a relative with a sizable life insurance policy."
(https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tracy-Letts) -
Bug - Play
Letts's next play is "Bug", a 1996 play premiered in London. It was later premiered in New York and off-Broadway during 1998.
The plot for this is: "a love story about a woman who is a cocaine addict and a man who thinks his body is infested with insects".
(https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tracy-Letts) -
The Man from Nebraska - Play
In 2003, Letts's next play was "The Man from Nebraska", staged at the Steppenwolf Theatre. This got to be a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
The plot for this play is "of an insurance agent’s loss of religious faith". This play was a different take to Letts's usage of dark themes.
(https://www.britannica.com) -
Lucille Lortel Award
Letts was awarded the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play in his play "Bug", presented at Barrow Street Theatre in 2004.
(https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/tracy-letts) -
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Film Adaptations
Letts pitched in the screenplays in movies adapting his plays, including "Bug", "Killer Joe", and "Orange: Osage County". -
Father's Death
Lett's father, Dennis, was diagnosed with lung cancer between the summer of 2007. In October, he passed away, four months after appearing his Lett's play "August: Osage County". -
August: Osage County - Play
Once again staged in Steppenwolf, Letts's next play was "August: Osage County". The success of this play was huge, and the New York Times would describe it as "fiercely funny and bitingly sad, turbo-charged tragicomedy". (https://www.actorsco-op.org/)
The plot for this play is "a black comedy depicting a wildly dysfunctional Oklahoma family coping with the death of its patriarch".
(https://www.britannica.com/) -
2008 Pulitzer Prize
Letts was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 5 Tony Awards, which included Best Play, for "August: Osage County". -
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Films and TV Series
Letts was casted in movies. A few are "Elvis Nixon" (2016), "The Post" (2017), and "Ford v Ferrari" (2019),
Letts was also casted in television series, such as, "Homeland" (2011), "Divorce" (2016), and a few other small parts in other shows. -
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Play
Letts's acting career sky-rocketed with "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", a play written by Edward Albee. He plays a character named George.
The plot of this play goes as "Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive unwitting younger couple Nick and Honey as guests, and draw them into their bitter and frustrated relationship."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/) -
New Tony Award
Letts won yet another Tony Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of George in the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". -
Marriage
Letts marries Carrie Coon in 2013 after working together on "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" -
First Child
Letts and Coon have their first child, Huskell, in 2018. -
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Theatre Acts
Still working with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Letts had roles in plays being performed there.
One of them was "All My Sons", a play written by Arthur Miller.
This next one was another of Letts's own creation called "The Minutes" had also included him acting in it. -
The Minutes - Play
Letts came back to theatre to write and star in "The Minutes" at the Cort Theatre on Broadway.
The play takes a look at the "inner workings of a city council meeting and the hypocrisy, greed and ambition that bubble to the surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions".
(https://www.broadway.com/) -
Second Child
Letts and Coon have their second child, a girl, while Coon was in the filming of "The Gilded Age".