Sam Shepard Biography

Fast Facts

• Won a 1979 Pulitzer Prize for "Buried Child" and received other prestigious nominations in the 1980s
• Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986
• Received the 2009 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award
• Attended Mt․ San Antonio College to major in agriculture
• Left college to join the Bishop's Company repertory group
• Responsible for taking care of the family farm as a teenager
• Made his acting debut in 1978 with "Days of Heaven" before getting a part in "The Right Stuff," which earned him an Oscar nomination
• Wrote numerous off-Broadway plays and earned six Obie Awards in the late 1960s before gaining critical praise and taking on jobs as a screenwriter
• Played drums with the band Holy Modal Rounders
• Served as Regents Professor of Drama at the University of California, Davis
• Co-wrote the song "Brownsville Girl" with music icon Bob Dylan for his album "Knocked Out Loaded․"
• Dated musician Patti Smith in the early 1970s and had a relationship with actress Jessica Lange from 1983 to 2010