Luke Yankee (born February 7, 1960) is an American writer, playwright, and director.

Early life and education

Yankee is the son of actress

Eileen Heckart Anna Eileen Heckart ( Herbert; March 29, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American stage and screen actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years. Early life Heckart was born Anna Eileen Herbert in Columbus, Ohio. Her mother Esther () wed Leo ...

. His father, Jack Yankee, was an insurance broker. He studied at the University of California, Riverside, New York University, and at the Juilliard Drama School in New York. He has an MFA in Playwriting and Screenwriting. He is married to Don Hill, the Chair of Drama at the University of California, Irvine.

Career

Yankee worked as producing artistic director of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera. He assistant directed six Broadway plays for such directors as Harold Prince, Ellis Rabb, Brian Murray, and Gerald Freedman. His play, ''The Last Lifeboat,'' has had 55 productions in North America. His memoir ''Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up with Eileen Heckart'' was published in 2006 by Backstage Books.

Michael Musto Michael Musto (born December 3, 1955) is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. He is best known as a columnist for ''The Village Voice'', ...

described it as "one of the most compassionate and illuminating showbiz books ever written." In 2010, his play ''The Jesus Hickey'' was staged and produced by the Katselas Theatre Company, starring

Harry Hamlin Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'', a role he reprised in 2007's Santa Monica Studio video ...

. The same play received both the TRU Voices Award, and the Joel and Phyllis Ehrlich Award. Yankee’s latest work is ''Marilyn, Mom & Me''; a play about his mother’s intense friendship with

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

while shooting the film

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

. It was the recipient of the 2022 Stanley Award for Drama. He is the Head of Playwriting at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

and an adjunct professor at

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

Bibliography

Plays

*''A Place at Forest Lawn'', co-authored with James Bontempo, (Dramatists Play Service, 2007) *''The Last Lifeboat'', (Dramatists Play Service, 2014) *''The Jesus Hickey'', (Independently Published, 2017) *''The Man Who Killed the Cure'' (Independently Published, 2017) *''Marilyn, Mom & Me'' (2019)

Nonfiction

*''Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up with Eileen Heckart'' (Back Stage Books, 2006) *''The Art of Writing for the Theatre: An Introduction to Script Analysis, Criticism, and Playwriting'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022)

References

External links

* *
Facebook page (official)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yankee, Luke American dramatists and playwrights 1960 births Living people American gay writers Writers from California American theatre directors American writers