Martin Sherman

Martin Sherman is a playwright and screenwriter. The only child of Jewish Russian immigrant parents, he was raised in Camden, N.J. He was brought up steeped in the arts, and began acting when he was 12. His plays include Absolutely! (Perhaps) (an adaptation of Pirandello), Aristo, Rose (which debuted with Olympia Dukakis in the title role), A Madhouse in Goa, Blackout, The Chain Play, Cracks, Fat Tuesday, Passing By, Rio Grande, Soaps, A Solitary Thing, Some Sunny Day and Things Went Badly in Westphalia (an adaptation of A Passage to India). He also wrote the book for The Boy from Oz. He regularly has been nominated for the Olivier Award, Britain’s version of the Tony Award. His landmark play Bent depicts the Nazi persecution of homosexuals and earned him a Tony nomination in 1980; it later was adapted into a film. Sherman’s film scripts include The Summer House, Indian Summer, Callas Forever, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone and, most recently, Mrs. Henderson Presents. Sherman has lived in London, England, since 1980.