Robert Sherwood

Robert Sherwood
Name	Robert Sherwood
Birth date	April 4, 1896
Birth place	New Rochelle, New York
Death date	November 14, 1955
Death place	New York City
Occupation	Playwright, Screenwriter
Alma mater	Harvard University
Awards	Pulitzer Prize for Drama (4), Academy Award
Spouse	Mary Brandon (m. 1922–1934), Madeline Hurlock (m. 1935–1955)

Robert Sherwood. A towering figure in 20th-century American theater and film, Robert Emmet Sherwood was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter, and presidential speechwriter. He achieved remarkable success, winning four Pulitzer Prizes for his plays and an Academy Award for his screenwriting. His work, which evolved from witty comedies to profound dramas exploring the perils of fascism and the moral complexities of war, left an indelible mark on Broadway and Hollywood.

Early life and education

Born into a prosperous family in New Rochelle, New York, Sherwood was the son of Arthur Murray Sherwood, a wealthy stockbroker, and Rosina Emmet, a noted portrait painter descended from the prominent Emmet family. He attended the prestigious Milton Academy in Massachusetts before enrolling at Harvard University in 1914. His studies at Harvard University were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I; driven by idealism, he left to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, serving with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada and being wounded at the Battle of Amiens. He returned to Harvard University after the war, where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon and graduated in 1918, his wartime experiences profoundly shaping his later pacifist and anti-war writings.

Career

Sherwood began his career as a film critic and editor for the early humor magazine *Life* and later for the influential New York Herald Tribune. His entry into the theater came with his first major play, *The Road to Rome* (1927), a historical comedy that established his reputation. He became a central member of the Algonquin Round Table, a celebrated group of New York City wits that included Dorothy Parker and George S. Kaufman. During the 1930s, his work took a serious turn in response to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Spanish Civil War, leading to powerful dramas like *Idiot's Delight* and *There Shall Be No Night*. During World War II, he served as a speechwriter and advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, heading the overseas branch of the Office of War Information and helping to craft the ideological framework of the Allied cause. He also had a prolific career in Hollywood, writing screenplays for major studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Major works

Sherwood's dramatic output is distinguished by its range and power. His first Pulitzer winner, *Idiot's Delight* (1936), is a prescient anti-war play set in a European hotel on the brink of conflict. He followed this with *Abe Lincoln in Illinois* (1938), a biographical drama about the young Abraham Lincoln that won his second Pulitzer. *There Shall Be No Night* (1940), his third Pulitzer winner, addressed the Winter War in Finland and the struggle against totalitarianism. His screenplay for *The Best Years of Our Lives* (1946), a poignant look at World War II veterans returning home, won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Other notable plays include the sophisticated comedy *Reunion in Vienna* (1931) and *The Petrified Forest* (1935), a drama set in the Arizona desert that became a famous film starring Humphrey Bogart.

Awards and honors

Sherwood is one of the most decorated American writers, having received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama a record-tying four times, for *Idiot's Delight*, *Abe Lincoln in Illinois*, *There Shall Be No Night*, and his posthumous win for the biography *Roosevelt and Hopkins* (1949). For his cinematic work, he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for *The Best Years of Our Lives*. His contributions to theater and public service were further recognized with a Tony Award for *Abe Lincoln in Illinois* and the Presidential Medal for Merit, awarded by President Harry S. Truman for his wartime service.

Personal life

Sherwood was married twice, first to actress Mary Brandon in 1922, with whom he had a daughter; the marriage ended in divorce. In 1935, he married actress and former Ziegfeld Follies showgirl Madeline Hurlock, a union that lasted until his death. Standing an imposing 6'7", his height was a distinctive physical trait. A lifelong liberal, his political views were deeply influenced by his friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his work in the White House. He spent his later years between his apartment in New York City and a home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Legacy

Robert Sherwood's legacy endures as a master dramatist who chronicled the American conscience through the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. His plays, which transitioned from light satire to urgent moral commentary, remain significant works in the canon of American literature. His influential role as a speechwriter for Franklin D. Roosevelt helped shape the rhetoric of American democracy during its confrontation with Nazi Germany. Furthermore, his acclaimed screenplay for *The Best Years of Our Lives* is considered a classic of postwar American cinema. He is remembered as a central intellectual figure whose art was powerfully engaged with the most pressing historical events of his time.

Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:Pulitzer Prize winners Category:Academy Award-winning writers