Brian Friel Biography

Fast Facts

• Won numerous awards during his lifetime, including a Tony Award, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award and an Olivier Award
• In 1982, he was elected to the Aosdana, an Irish association honoring those who have made an outstanding contribution to the arts
• Trained to become a priest at St․ Patrick's College in Maynooth, Ireland and later a teacher at St․ Joseph's Teacher Training College in Belfast
• Began writing plays while he worked as a teacher, with his first play, "A Sort of Freedom," being broadcast by the BBC in 1954
• Co-founded the Field Day Theatre Company, an artistic response to the violent political divide in Northern Ireland, with actor Stephen Rea in 1980
• Heralded as one of the greatest English-language dramatists during his lifetime, he was the author of "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" and "Dancing at Lughnasa․"
• Wrote a total of 24 published plays, two short story collections and 11 adaptations of works from the likes of Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekov and Ivan Turgenev