Larry Kramer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Kramer
|
|
|---|---|
Kramer in 2010
|
|
| Born | Laurence David Kramer June 25, 1935 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | May 27, 2020 (aged 84) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Education | Yale University (BA) |
| Subject |
|
| Years active | 1960s–2020 |
| Spouse |
David Webster
(m. 2013) |
| Relatives | Arthur Kramer (brother) |
Laurence David Kramer (June 25, 1935 – May 27, 2020) was an American writer, film producer, and activist. He was a strong voice for public health and for the rights of gay people.
Kramer started his career by helping to rewrite movie scripts. He even got an Academy Award nomination for his work on the film Women in Love in 1969.
In the early 1980s, Kramer saw a new disease, later called AIDS, spreading among his friends. He helped start an organization called Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) to offer support.
However, Kramer felt that not enough was being done to fight AIDS. He wrote a play called The Normal Heart in 1985 to show his frustration and call for action.
His activism continued when he helped create the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) in 1987. This group used protests to demand more public effort to fight the AIDS crisis. ACT UP is known for helping to change how people saw people living with AIDS and for raising awareness about HIV and AIDS.
Kramer was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his play The Destiny of Me in 1992. He won the Obie Award twice for his theater work.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Laurence David Kramer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was the younger of two sons. His mother, Rea, worked in a shoe store and as a social worker. His father, George Kramer, was a government lawyer.
Larry Kramer went to Yale University, just like his father and older brother. He graduated in 1957 with a degree in English. After college, he served in the U.S. Army Reserve before starting his career in film.
Career Highlights
Kramer believed that all his plays tried to understand love and its challenges. He began working in the movie industry at age 23. He started by reworking scripts.
Early Writings and Plays
His first writing credit was for a comedy film called Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. After that, he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969. This work earned him an Academy Award nomination.
Later, Kramer tried writing for the stage. He wrote a play called Sissies' Scrapbook in 1973. Even though it received a good review, the play closed, and Kramer felt very upset.
The Normal Heart
The Normal Heart is a famous play set between 1981 and 1984. It tells the story of a writer named Ned Weeks. Ned is caring for his partner, who is dying from a mysterious disease. The play shows how doctors were confused and had no resources to research the illness. It also shows Ned's fight for more action and attention for the disease.
The play is considered a very important work. It ran for a whole year at The Public Theater in New York City, starting in 1985. It has been performed over 600 times around the world.
In 2014, HBO made a film version of The Normal Heart. It starred famous actors like Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, and Julia Roberts.
Founding ACT UP
In 1987, Larry Kramer was a key person in starting the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). This group used direct action protests to get attention from government agencies and companies. They wanted more treatment and funding for people with AIDS.
ACT UP was formed after Kramer gave a powerful speech about the need for action against AIDS. Their first target was the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Kramer believed the FDA was not moving fast enough to approve needed medicines for people with HIV.
ACT UP often used peaceful protests where people would get arrested. This helped to bring a lot of attention to their cause. On March 24, 1987, 17 people were arrested for blocking traffic in front of the FDA's offices. Kramer himself was arrested many times while working with ACT UP. The organization grew to have hundreds of chapters.
For decades, Kramer continued to speak out for equal rights for gay people. He also argued for more research into cures for AIDS.
The Destiny of Me
The Destiny of Me is a play that continues the story from The Normal Heart. It follows Ned Weeks as he keeps fighting for a cure for the disease he also suffers from. The play opened in 1992 and ran for a year. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won two Obie Awards.
The American People: A History
Around 1981, Kramer started working on a huge history book called The American People: A History. This ambitious work aimed to cover history from the Stone Age all the way to the present.
The first part of the book was published in 2015. The second part, which was 880 pages long, came out in 2020.
Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies
In 1997, Kramer offered money to Yale University. He wanted to create a special program to study gay and lesbian history and issues. At first, Yale was unsure, but in 2001, they agreed to create the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies. This program included visiting professors, conferences, and guest speakers.
An Army of Lovers Must Not Die
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kramer began writing a new play. It was titled An Army of Lovers Must Not Die.
Personal Life
Larry Kramer and his partner, David Webster, were together from 1991. They married on July 24, 2013, in a hospital in New York City. Kramer was recovering from surgery at the time.
Kramer lived in Manhattan and also spent time in Connecticut.
Death
Larry Kramer passed away from pneumonia on May 27, 2020. He was 84 years old.
Awards and Recognition
- 1970: Nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Women in Love.
- 1993: Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Destiny of Me.
- 1993: Won two Obie Awards for The Destiny of Me.
- 1996: Received an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
- 1996: Received the Public Service Award from Common Cause.
- 1999: The Normal Heart was named one of the Hundred Best Plays of the 20th Century by the National Theatre of Great Britain.
- 2005: Became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
- 2006: Named one of the 31 Icons of LGBT History Month by Equality Forum.
- 2011: The Normal Heart won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
- 2013: Won the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for a Master American Dramatist.
- 2014: Won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for the HBO movie of The Normal Heart.
- 2015: Received the first Larry Kramer Activism Award from Gay Men's Health Crisis.
- 2020: Added to the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City. This monument is dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history.
In the Media
Larry Kramer's early activism is featured in an episode of the podcast Fiasco, hosted by Leon Neyfakh.
Images for kids
-
Kramer at home in 2007, looking at his work.
