Thomas P. Cullinan (November 4, 1919 – June 11, 1995) was an American novelist and playwright, as well as a writer for television. He is perhaps best known for his 1966 novel ''The Beguiled'', which was made into two films of the same name, in 1971 and again in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

Early life

Cullinan was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, in an

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

family. He graduated from Cathedral Latin High School in 1938, and later attended Case Western Reserve University.

Career

In addition to ''The Beguiled'' (1966), Cullinan's novel about a

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldier recuperating at a girls' school in Confederate Mississippi during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he wrote three novels—''The Besieged'' (1970), ''The Eighth Sacrament'' (1977), and ''The Bedeviled'' (1978)—as well as several plays, which are still produced. He received a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

grant to represent the United States at a literary colloquium in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 1964, and he wrote a weekly television program in his hometown of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ohio, both for WKYC, a local television affiliate, and for Case Western Reserve University. ''The Beguiled'' was twice made into a film: in 1971, directed by

Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut ...

and starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page; and in 2017, directed by

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...

and starring

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

and

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The ...

Death

Cullinan died of a heart attack on June 11, 1995 at a local theater in Cleveland Heights where he was judging a high school playwrighting festival. Cullinan's papers are kept at the

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

archive, which include an unpublished play based on the Marilyn Sheppard murder case.

Awards

*Cleveland Arts Prize (1971) *Ford Fondation grants (1964 and 1966)

Notable works

Books * 1966: ''The Beguiled'' * 1970: ''The Besieged'' * 1974: ''The Roots of Social Injustice'' * 1975: ''If the Eye Be Sound'' * 1975: ''Paths Are Made by Those Who Walk on Them'' * 1977: ''The Eighth Sacrament'' * 1978: ''The Bedeviled'' * 1988: ''Inherited Illusions: Integrating the Sacred & the Secular'' Produced Plays * 1969: ''Mrs. Lincoln'' * 1970: ''The Attic'' * 1996: ''The Rose of Tralee'' * 2000: ''The Wayward Angel''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullinan, Thomas P 1919 births 1995 deaths American male novelists American people of Irish descent American dramatists and playwrights Case Western Reserve University alumni Writers from Cleveland Novelists from Ohio 20th-century American male writers