Robert M. Harling III (born November 12, 1951) is an American writer, producer and film director.
Robert M. Harling III | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1951 (age 73) |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Biography
editEarly life
editHe was born in 1951 in Dothan, Alabama, one of three children of Robert M. Harling Jr (1923–2019) and Margaret Jones Harling (1923–2013).[1][2][3][4] He graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana and obtained a Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans.[3][4][5] While in law school, he sang in a band which performed in New Orleans on weekends.[4]
Career
editHowever, Harling never used his legal education: skipping the bar exam, he instead moved to New York City to become an actor, auditioning for bit parts in plays and television commercials as well as working as a ticket seller for Broadway shows.[3][4]
After the death of his younger sister, Susan, in 1985 due to diabetes, Harling wrote a short story and adapted it into the play Steel Magnolias,[3][4][5][6][7] which was produced off-Broadway in 1987 to great acclaim and was translated into 17 languages.[4]
Harling also wrote the screenplay for the film version of the play that was produced in 1989.[8][9][10][11] He played a small role in the film as a minister.[8]
Harling wrote more screenplays: Soapdish (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), and Laws of Attraction (2004); he also worked as an uncredited script doctor on a number of films. Harling also wrote and directed the sequel to Terms of Endearment titled The Evening Star (1996).[5][8][12]
In the spring of 2012, he served as writer and producer of the TV show GCB.[5][8][11] In the same year, it was reported that Harling was adapting Soapdish into a musical.[5][13]
Personal life
editHe is Presbyterian and openly gay.[7][13] He owns the Oaklawn Plantation in Natchitoches, Louisiana.[14][15]
Filmography
editWriter
edit- 1989 Steel Magnolias[8]
- 1990 Steel Magnolias (TV pilot)[8]
- 1991 Soapdish[8]
- 1992 Coiffure pour dames[8]
- 1996 The First Wives Club[8]
- 1996 The Evening Star[8]
- 2004 Laws of Attraction[8]
- 2012 GCB[8]
Producer
edit- 1997 A Smile Like Yours[8]
- 2012 GCB[8]
Director
edit- 1996 The Evening Star[8]
References
edit- ^ Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home, Obituary: Margaret Jones Harling, Margaret Jones Harling Obituary
- ^ "Robert Harling - Alliance Theatre". alliancetheatre.org.
- ^ a b c d Kim Hubbard, Robert Harling, Author of a Hit Comedy Based on a Family Tragedy, People, Vol. 29, No. 3, January 25, 1988
- ^ a b c d e f Julia Reed, The Interview: Robert Harling, Garden & Gun, December 2012 – January 2013
- ^ a b c d e Brooks Barnes, Sweet Tea and Tart Women, The New York Times, February 29, 2012
- ^ Anne McCracken, Mary Semel, A broken heart still beats: after your child dies, Hazelden Publishing, 2000, p. 87 [1]
- ^ a b Jeremy Kinser, Steel Magnolias Back in Bloom, The Advocate, October 25, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Robert Harling". IMDb.
- ^ Karen Hollinger, In the company of women: contemporary female friendship films, Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1998, p. 75 [2]
- ^ Tara McPherson, Reconstructing Dixie: Race, Gender, and Nostalgia in the Imagined South, Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2003, p. 159 [3]
- ^ a b Tanner Transky, Robert Harling: The Man Who Loves Women, Entertainment Weekly, April 13, 2012
- ^ Peter C. Rollins, The Columbia companion to American history on film, New York City: Columbia University Press, 2007 p. 494 [4]
- ^ a b Lisa Rosen, Robert Harling, Darren Star breathe life into 'GCB', The Los Angeles Times, January 8, 2012
- ^ Foundation, Joyous Coast (April 1, 2003). Natchitoches. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-1499-4 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Oaklawn Plantation--Cane River National Heritage Area: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary". www.nps.gov.