The Man Behind Ballyhoo
Uhry was born in 1936 to an upper-middle class German-Jewish family in Atlanta. His father was a furniture designer and his mother was a social worker. In 1958 he graduated from Brown University with a degree in English. After college, he moved to New York City to begin his show business career. His early works were not very successful but he continued to write comedy scripts for television shows, lyrics for commercials, and taught English and drama at New York high schools.
In 1987, Uhry wrote Driving Miss Daisy which is a play based on actual life events of his grandmother. Driving Miss Daisy was an instant success and ran for three years. This play awarded him the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and was later adapted into a Hollywood film that was also a huge success. The Last Night of Ballyhoo was created when Uhry was approached with the task of writing a play for the 1996 Olympics Games held in Atlanta, GA. This play was developed from stories Uhry heard as a kid growing up in a Southern Jewish family. After its initial production in the Olympic Games, it was moved to Broadway shortly after. Last Night in Ballyhoo was awarded the 1997 Tony Award for Best Play, Outer Critics Award for Best Broadway Play, 1997 Drama Desk Award, and a 1997 Pulitzer Prize Finalist. |