Lynn Manning facts for kids

Lynn Manning (born April 30, 1955 – died August 3, 2015) was an amazing American athlete, writer, and actor. He was known for sharing his own life story, especially what it was like to be a blind African-American man.

Who Was Lynn Manning?

Lynn Manning's life changed completely when he lost his sight. This happened after he was shot in a Hollywood bar in 1978. He was 23 years old at the time. Despite this, he became very famous as a playwright and actor.

He was best known for his play called Weights. This play was partly about his own life. It first opened in Los Angeles in 2001. Weights won three awards from the NAACP Theatre Awards. Lynn Manning even won Best Actor for his role in the play! It has been shown all over the country, including at the Theater By The Blind in New York City. His last play, Up From The Downs, was first shown in Los Angeles in 2005.

Lynn's Early Life

Lynn Manning was born in Fresno, California and grew up in Los Angeles. He had eight brothers and sisters. When he was young, he and his siblings lived in foster homes.

Amazing Achievements

Lynn Manning was a very talented person. He was a playwright, a poet, and an actor. He was also a former world champion in blind judo. This is a type of martial arts for people who are blind.

He represented the United States in the Paralympics. He competed in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Paralympics. In Barcelona in 1992, he won a silver medal!

Lynn was named the U.S. Olympic Committee's "Blind Male Athlete Of The Year." This was after he won the Blind Judo World Championship in Holland in 1990. He also won the first World Cup for blind judo in Italy in 1991. Lynn also earned a silver medal in Tokyo in 1991. He won bronze medals at the International Blind Sports Association World Championships in Colorado Springs (1995) and Madrid, Spain (1998).

His play Weights was his first story to win awards. It won three theater awards, including one for best actor. Lynn wrote 19 original plays that have been performed. He also helped start the Watts Village Theater Company. He was the artistic director for this company, which brought theater to the Watts community.

Lynn also wrote poetry. His poem "The Magic Wand" talks about how disability and race can connect. His poems have been in many magazines and books.

About the Play Weights

Lynn Manning's play "Weights" was first performed in the year 2000. The play tells his life story. It shows his journey from being a young child in poverty to becoming a blind man who writes poetry and plays. It also shows how he appeared on television and in commercials. The play shares the difficult times he went through.

The Extant Theatre Company put on the first show of "Weights" in the UK in 2005. Lynn Manning himself acted in this tour. He also performed in another show at the Millfield Theatre in London in 2008.

Lynn's Life and Legacy

Lynn Manning lived in Koreatown, Los Angeles. This was on the same street where he lived as a child in a boys' home. He later worked there too.

He was a member of important groups for actors, like the Screen Actor's Guild and Actors' Equity. He also taught martial arts to children and adults who were visually impaired. He was a sensei (teacher) for the judo program at the Braille Institute of Los Angeles.

Lynn Manning passed away on August 3, 2015, at the age of 60. He died from liver cancer.