A quadruple threat as an actor, director, screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (for "Buried Child"), Sam Shepard was born Nov. 5, 1943, in Fort Sheridan, Ill. After a nomadic upbringing, he headed for New York City and soon had a pair of plays produced; in the early 1970s, Shepard was the resident playwright at San Francisco's Magic Theater.His acting career kicked into gear with impressive turns in Days of Heaven (1978) and Raggedy Man (1981). In 1983, his performance as test pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff brought Shepard not only stardom but an Oscar nod as Best Supporting Actor. His other noteworthy films include Baby Boom (1987), Steel Magnolias (1989), The Pelican Brief (1993) and Black Hawk Down (2001).
No stranger to the small screen, the lanky actor copped Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work in the made-for-TV movie Dash and Lilly (1999).
AddDays of HeavenDirector Terrence Malick's beautifully shot period piece, which won an Oscar for its cinematography, tells the story of Bill (Richard Gere), an early-1900s Chicago steel-mill worker who flees town after accidentally killing a man. In search of a better life, he moves his girlfriend Abby (Brooke... Read More
AddBaby BoomIn this light-hearted comedy, high-powered management consultant J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) claims her inheritance from a distant relative, only to find out it's a baby. Children are not in her busy life plan, so she intends to put the child up for adoption. But when she realizes she's grown fond of... Read More
AddThe Right StuffDirector Philip Kaufman and a stellar cast -- including Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn and Ed Harris -- chronicle NASA's early transition from breaking the sound barrier in 1947 to the expeditions of the Mercury astronauts in the 1960s. Richly variegated and surprisingly funny, this film adaptation of a... Read More
AddRuffianConsidered to be the greatest thoroughbred filly of all time, Ruffian shattered horse racing records with her power. This engaging drama tells the story of her brief career. In 1975, a packed Belmont Park crowd gathers for the much-anticipated match race against the formidable colt Foolish Pleasure.... Read More
AddPurgatoryOn the run, a group of rowdy outlaws ride into the town of Refuge, a settlement in which no one carries a gun, there's no jail, and swearing is not allowed. The desperadoes hatch a plan to take over the nonviolent town, only to discover they're up against the legendary -- and long since dead -- Wild... Read More
