Robert Harling (writer)
Encyclopedia
Robert Harling is an American writer, producer and film director best known for his play Steel Magnolias
.
. Harling is an American
writer and film director best known for his play Steel Magnolias
.
Harling was an aspiring actor when the death of his younger sister inspired him to write the play that remains his most famous work. He went on to adapt the screenplay for the film version of the play that was produced in 1989 starring Sally Field
and Julia Roberts
. He played a small role in the film as a minister.
Harling has concentrated on working as a screenwriter in subsequent years. He is the author of the screenplays to the films Soapdish
(1991), The First Wives Club
(1996), Laws of Attraction
(2004), and is currently working on the screenplay for the film version of Dallas
. He also wrote and directed the sequel to Terms of Endearment
titled The Evening Star
(1996).
Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....
.
Life and Career
Robert Harling was born in 1951 in Natchitoches, LouisianaNatchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
. Harling is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and film director best known for his play Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....
.
Harling was an aspiring actor when the death of his younger sister inspired him to write the play that remains his most famous work. He went on to adapt the screenplay for the film version of the play that was produced in 1989 starring Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
and Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
. He played a small role in the film as a minister.
Harling has concentrated on working as a screenwriter in subsequent years. He is the author of the screenplays to the films Soapdish
Soapdish
Soapdish is a 1991 comedy film which tells a backstage story of the cast and crew of a popular fictional television soap opera. It stars Sally Field as an aging soap star, joined by Kevin Kline, Robert Downey, Jr., Elisabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Cathy Moriarty, Garry Marshall, Kathy...
(1991), The First Wives Club
The First Wives Club
The First Wives Club is a 1996 comedy film, based on the best-selling 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. Narrated by Diane Keaton, it stars Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler as three divorced women who seek revenge on their husbands who left them for younger women...
(1996), Laws of Attraction
Laws of Attraction
Laws of Attraction is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Peter Howitt, based on a story by Aline Brosh McKenna and screenplay by Robert Harling, Howitt and McKenna. It stars Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. It grossed $17.8 million in the United States, on a budget of $32 million...
(2004), and is currently working on the screenplay for the film version of Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
. He also wrote and directed the sequel to Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
titled The Evening Star
The Evening Star
The Evening Star is a 1996 sequel to Academy Award for Best Picture-winning Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway she played in the original film. The movie takes place about fifteen years after the original following the characters from 1988 to...
(1996).
Writer
- 1989 Steel MagnoliasSteel MagnoliasSteel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....
- 1990 Steel MagnoliasSteel Magnolias (play)Steel Magnolias is a comedy–drama play about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana. It is written by Robert Harling, based on his experience with the death of his sister. The title suggests the "female characters are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel"...
(TV pilot) - 1991 SoapdishSoapdishSoapdish is a 1991 comedy film which tells a backstage story of the cast and crew of a popular fictional television soap opera. It stars Sally Field as an aging soap star, joined by Kevin Kline, Robert Downey, Jr., Elisabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Cathy Moriarty, Garry Marshall, Kathy...
- 1992 Coiffure pour dames
- 1996 The First Wives ClubThe First Wives ClubThe First Wives Club is a 1996 comedy film, based on the best-selling 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. Narrated by Diane Keaton, it stars Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler as three divorced women who seek revenge on their husbands who left them for younger women...
- 1996 The Evening StarThe Evening StarThe Evening Star is a 1996 sequel to Academy Award for Best Picture-winning Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway she played in the original film. The movie takes place about fifteen years after the original following the characters from 1988 to...
- 2004 Laws of AttractionLaws of AttractionLaws of Attraction is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Peter Howitt, based on a story by Aline Brosh McKenna and screenplay by Robert Harling, Howitt and McKenna. It stars Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. It grossed $17.8 million in the United States, on a budget of $32 million...
- 2012 GCB (ABC TV series)