Lonne Elder III
Encyclopedia
Lonne Elder III was an American actor, playwright
and screenwriter
. In 1973, he along with Suzanne de Passe
became the first African American
s to be nominated for the Academy Award for writing. Elder was nominated for Sounder
, while De Passe was nominated for the film Lady Sings the Blues.
Elder was born in Americus, Georgia
but raised in Jersey City, New Jersey
. He began his career as a Broadway
actor but soon found his skills in playwriting. His first and most well known play, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, won him a Drama Desk Award
for Most Promising Playwright. The play, which was about a Harlem barber and his family, was produced by the Negro Ensemble Company
in 1969, and this encouraged him to study filmmaking at Yale
. He did not complete the course in filmmaking at Yale.
He wrote the screenplay for Sounder
and received an Academy Award nomination. He later wrote its sequel.
Elder was known for films that promoted the cause of feminism
for African American
women. His script for the television miniseries A Woman Called Moses
is an example of this. His play Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, which was produced for television in 1975, was also influential in depicting the realities of a black family attempting to survive in New York City.
Elder also co-wrote the screenplay for the Richard Pryor
comedy Bustin' Loose
.
Elder also starred in the original Broadway
production of Lorraine Hansberry
's A Raisin in the Sun
as the character Bobo.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. In 1973, he along with Suzanne de Passe
Suzanne de Passe
Suzanne de Passe is an American television, music and film producer. As well as the Co-Chairman of de Passe Jones Entertainment Group-Career:Suzanne began her career at Motown as Creative Assistant to company founder, Berry Gordy...
became the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s to be nominated for the Academy Award for writing. Elder was nominated for Sounder
Sounder (film)
Sounder is a 1972 film starring Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews, Taj Mahal, Eric Hooks and Janet MacLachlan. It was adapted by Lonne Elder III and directed by Martin Ritt from the 1970 Newbery Medal-winning novel Sounder by William H...
, while De Passe was nominated for the film Lady Sings the Blues.
Elder was born in Americus, Georgia
Americus, Georgia
-Early years:Americus, Georgia was named and chartered by Sen. Lovett B. Smith in 1832.For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed...
but raised in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. He began his career as a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
actor but soon found his skills in playwriting. His first and most well known play, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, won him a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Most Promising Playwright. The play, which was about a Harlem barber and his family, was produced by the Negro Ensemble Company
Negro Ensemble Company
The Negro Ensemble Company is a New York City-based theater company. Established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer/actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S...
in 1969, and this encouraged him to study filmmaking at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He did not complete the course in filmmaking at Yale.
He wrote the screenplay for Sounder
Sounder (film)
Sounder is a 1972 film starring Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews, Taj Mahal, Eric Hooks and Janet MacLachlan. It was adapted by Lonne Elder III and directed by Martin Ritt from the 1970 Newbery Medal-winning novel Sounder by William H...
and received an Academy Award nomination. He later wrote its sequel.
Elder was known for films that promoted the cause of feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
for African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
women. His script for the television miniseries A Woman Called Moses
A Woman Called Moses
A Woman Called Moses is a television miniseries based on the life of Harriet Tubman, the escaped African American slave who helped to organize the Underground Railroad, and who led hundreds of African Americans from enslavement in the Southern United States to freedom in the Northern states and...
is an example of this. His play Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, which was produced for television in 1975, was also influential in depicting the realities of a black family attempting to survive in New York City.
Elder also co-wrote the screenplay for the Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
comedy Bustin' Loose
Bustin' Loose
This article is about the movie. For the TV series of the same name, see Bustin' Loose .Bustin' Loose is a film released by Universal Pictures in 1981 starring Richard Pryor as an ex-con who gets a second chance after violating his probation...
.
Elder also starred in the original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry was an African American playwright and author of political speeches, letters, and essays...
's A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes...
as the character Bobo.