Larry Kramer

Birth Name:

Larry Kramer

Birth Place:

Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States

Profession

Writer, Producer

Shortlisted for a Pulitzer Prize for his 1992 work, The Destiny of Me
Established the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale University in 1997, with financial help from his older brother
Helped co-found ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
Helped establish the Gay Men's Health Crisis in the early '80s after several close friends began to die from HIV/AIDS
Earned his bachelor's degree in English from Yale University in 1957
Learned that he was HIV positive while undergoing hernia surgery in 1988 and eventually received a new liver in 2001
Earned his first job in the entertainment industry at 23-years-old, working as a Teletype operator at Columbia Pictures
Quote: "It's about speaking up, being mean if you have to․ You don't get more with honey than with vinegar․"
Briefly hoped to write for various theater productions, but later discounted the idea after his first play folded shortly after opening
After visiting Dachau concentration camp overseas, he would soon be inspired to write The Normal Heart

1970BAFTA Film Award - Best Screenplay:Nominated
1971Oscar - Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium:Nominated
2014Humanitas Prize - 90 Minute Category:Winner
2014OFTA Television Award - Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries:Winner
2014Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special:Nominated
2015WGA Award (TV) - Adapted Long Form:Nominated

Fast Facts