Robert M. Harling III (born November 12, 1951) is an American writer, producer and film director.

Biography

Early life

He was born in 1951 in

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner ...

, one of three children of Robert M. Harling, Jr (1923-2019)., and Margaret Jones Harling (1923-2013).Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Obituary: Margaret Jones Harling
Margaret Jones Harling ObituaryKim Hubbard

''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'', Vol. 29, No. 3, January 25, 1988Julia Reed
The Interview: Robert Harling
''

Garden & Gun ''Garden & Gun'' is a national magazine focusing on the American South. The magazine reports on the South's culture, food, music, art, literature, and its people and their ideas. It was created in 2007, published by the Evening Post Publishing Co ...

'', December 2012 – January 2013 He graduated from

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; french: link=no, Les Natchitoches) is a small city 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 name ...

, and obtained a J.D. degree from Tulane University Law School in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

.Brooks Barnes
Sweet Tea and Tart Women
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', February 29, 2012 While in law school, he sang in a band which performed in New Orleans on weekends.

Career

However, Harling never used his legal education: skipping the

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...

, he instead moved to New York City to become an actor, auditioning for bit parts in plays and television commercials, and working as a ticket seller for Broadway shows. After the death of his younger sister, Susan, in 1985 due to

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, Harling wrote a short story and adapted it into a play, '' Steel Magnolias'',Jeremy Kinser
Steel Magnolias Back In Bloom
'' The Advocate'', October 25, 2012 which was produced

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

in 1987 to great acclaim and was subsequently translated into seventeen languages. Harling also wrote the screenplay for the film version of the play that was produced in 1989, starring

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film Fe ...

and

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...

.Tanner Transky
Robert Harling: The Man Who Loves Women
''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'', April 13, 2012 He played a small role in the film as a minister. Harling went on to write more screenplays: ''

Soapdish ''Soapdish'' is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Michael Hoffman, from a screenplay by Robert Harling and Andrew Bergman. The film was produced by Aaron Spelling and Alan Greisman, and executive produced by Herbert Ross. The film tells ...

'' (1991), ''

The First Wives Club ''The First Wives Club'' is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. The film stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorcées who seek retribution ...

'' (1996), and ''

Laws of Attraction ''Laws of Attraction'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Howitt, based on a story by Aline Brosh McKenna and screenplay by Robert Harling and McKenna. It stars Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. Plot High-powered div ...

'' (2004); he also worked as an uncredited

script doctor A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other eleme ...

on a number of films. Harling also wrote and directed the sequel to ''

Terms of Endearment ''Terms of Endearment'' is a 1983 American family comedy-drama film directed, written, and produced by James L. Brooks, adapted from Larry McMurtry's 1975 novel of the same name. It stars Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Dann ...

'' titled ''

The Evening Star ''The Evening Star'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film. It is a sequel to the Academy Award-winning 1983 film ''Terms of Endearment'' starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway, for which she won an Oscar in the origin ...

'' (1996). In the spring of 2012, he served as writer and producer of the TV show '' GCB'', which aired briefly on ABC-TV. In the same year, it was reported that Harling was adapting ''Soapdish'' into a musical.Lisa Rosen
Robert Harling, Darren Star breathe life into 'GCB'
''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', January 8, 2012

Personal life

He is Presbyterian He owns the Oaklawn Plantation in

Filmography

Writer

* 1989 '' Steel Magnolias''. * 1990 '' Steel Magnolias'' (TV pilot). * 1991 ''

''. * 1992 ''Coiffure pour dames''. * 1996 ''

''. * 1996 ''

''. * 2004 ''

''. * 2012 '' GCB'' (ABC TV series).

Producer

* 1997 ''

A Smile Like Yours ''A Smile Like Yours'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Keith Samples and starring Greg Kinnear and Lauren Holly. The film centers on a couple as they try to conceive a child. The film was produced by Rysher Entertainment an ...

''. * 2012 '' GCB'' (ABC TV series).

Director

* 1996 ''

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harling, Robert 1951 births Living people People from Natchitoches, Louisiana Northwestern State University alumni Tulane University Law School alumni 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters American Presbyterians American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Film directors from Louisiana Screenwriters from Louisiana Film producers from Louisiana