1. Robert Greene (1558)

Playwright

A sixteenth-century British author and dramatist, he became famous for his pamphlet, Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit, and for his scandalous persona. His numerous other prose works include Penelope's Web and...

2. William Shakespeare (1564)

Playwright

Elizabethan era playwright and poet who is regarded as the most influential writer in English literature. The author of 38 plays and 154 sonnets, he is particularly famous for Hamlet,...

3. William Cartwright (1611)

Playwright

English playwright and preacher who became known for his 1636 work The Royal Slave along with his many other works.

4. Aphra Behn (1640)

Playwright

An influential playwright and author of the Restoration Era, she is known for plays such as The Rover, Sir Patient Fancy, and The Feigned Courtesans. Her novels include Oroonoko and...

5. Edward Moore (1712)

Playwright

Eighteenth-century English playwright whose dramatic works include The Foundling and The Trial of Selim the Persian. He is most famous, however, for The Gamester, a play first produced in 1753....

6. Royall Tyler (1757)

Playwright

American playwright who wrote The Contrast and The Algerine Captive. He also collaborated frequently with his friend Joseph Dennie.

7. William Gilbert (1836)

Playwright

Famed dramatist and librettist whose comic operettas with composer Arthur Sullivan include The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, and The Pirates of Penzance. As a playwright of non-musical works, he is known for Pygmalion...

8. Antonio Fogazzaro (1970)

Playwright

A prolific Italian playwright and novelist, he is known for works such as Little Old World (1901) and The Poet Mystery (1888). He is associated with the Scapigliatura artistic movement.

9. Charles Dazey (1855)

Playwright

American writer and playwright who wrote the 1919 silent film drama In Old Kentucky.

10. George Cram Cook (1873)

Playwright

Playwright who co-founded the Provincetown Players and aided in the development of the American theater.

11. Michael Bartlett (1980)

Playwright

Award-winning British playwright who wrote the radio play Love Contract, which was adapted for the Royal Court Theatre in 2008.

12. George Middleton (1880)

Playwright

American dramatist remembered for such plays as Adam and Eva and The Failures. He also wrote an acclaimed 1947 memoir These Things are Mine.

13. Antanas Vienuolis (1970)

Playwright

Lithuanian writer and dramatist known for his work in the realism genre. His numerous literary works include Uzkeiktieji vienuoliai (Cursed Monks), Paskenduole (The Drowned), and Sventavarte (Holygate).

14. Hugo Raudsepp (1970)

Playwright

Estonian playwright who was active during the first half of the 20th century.

15. Margaret Ayer Barnes (1970)

Playwright

An American playwright, short story writer, and novelist, she is particularly known for her 1928 dramatization of Edith Wharton's famous novel, The Age of Innocence. Barnes is also remembered for...

16. Eugene O'Neill (1888)

Playwright

Irish American playwright who received both the Nobel Prize in Literature (1936) and four Pulitzer Prizes for Drama (1920, 1922, 1928, 1957). His most famous dramatic works include Anna Christie,...

17. Marc Connelly (1890)

Playwright

Journalist and Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright who wrote The Green Pastures and Tall Story. He was also a member of the Algonquin Round Table.

18. Jane Murfin (1892)

Playwright

American playwright who wrote the well-known play, Lilac Time, in 1917. It ran for 176 performances on Broadway.

19. Donald Ogden Stewart (1894)

Playwright

American author, playwright, screenwriter, and member of the Algonquin Round Table. He won an Academy Award in 1940 for his screenplay for The Philadelphia Story.

20. Marcel Pagnol (1895)

Playwright

French playwright, novelist, and filmmaker who wrote Marius, Jean de Florette, and Manon des sources. He is known for excelling in every genre.

21. Juozas Grusas (1901)

Playwright

Writer and dramatist known for Barbora Radvilaite, one of the great Lithuanian plays of the Twentieth Century. His other dramas include Unija and Herkus Mantas.

22. Xavier Villaurrutia (1903)

Playwright

Mexican playwright and poet who was best known for his 1953 compilation Poesia y teatro completos.

23. Mary Chase (1906)

Playwright

Playwright most recognized for her Broadway work, Harvey, which was made into the classic film starring James Stewart.

24. Irving Fiske (1908)

Playwright

Author and speaker who converted his Vermont farm into an artists' community known as Quarry Hill Creative Center.

25. Mirza Ibrahimov (1911)

Playwright

A twentieth-century author and playwright, he was also the Chairman of the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan. He lobbied to make Azerbaijani an official language in a country that only recognized...

26. Sombhu Mitra (1970)

Playwright

Pioneer of Bengali theatre, stage actor, and director known for productions like Rakta Karabi and Chand Baniker Pala.

27. Donald Jack (1970)

Playwright

A Canadian novelist and playwright, he is most famous for his Bandy Papers book series, which focuses on the comic adventures of fighter pilot Bartholomew Bandy. His plays for stage...

28. Munier Choudhury (1970)

Playwright

Playwright, educational theorist and literary critic who wrote the play Kabar and won the Bangla Academy Award in 1962.

29. Charles Evered (1970)

Playwright

Award-winning playwright who wrote Clouds Hill and Wilderness of Mirrors. His work was profiled in the New York Times, BBC World and on NPR.

30. Alfred Farag (1970)

Playwright

Egyptian playwright who was prominent during the second half of the 20th century.

31. Slawomir Mrozek (1930)

Playwright

Polish dramatist who was a pioneer of absurdist fiction, he wrote the popular plays Tango, Emigranci, and The Elephant.

32. Paul Foster (1931)

Playwright

Known for writing plays like Elizabeth I and Satyricon, he won both the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships.

33. Donald Freed (1933)

Playwright

Also an actor, playwright, occasional screenwriter, and novelist, he is most remembered for such non-fiction works as Agony in New Haven (1973) and The Existentialism of Alberto Moravia (1972). His...

34. Joe Orton (1933)

Playwright

English playwright and author known for his dark comedies.Some of his plays include Loot and Entertaining Mr. Sloane.

35. Alden Nowlan (1933)

Playwright

Canadian playwright and poet who wrote Frankenstein: The Man Who Became God and A Gift to Last. He won the Governor General's Award in 1967.

36. John Kingsley Orton (1933)

Playwright

English author and playwright who was murdered by his boyfriend and mentor. He wrote The Ruffian on the Stair and Loot.

37. Alfred Uhry (1936)

Playwright

Famous playwright and one of the only writers to be awarded an Oscar, Tony, and Pulitzer. He also wrote Driving Miss Daisy.

38. Kirk Lynn (1970)

Playwright

Playwright known for co-founding the Rude Mechanicals theater company. He co-wrote The Wrestling Patient, produced by Speakeasy Productions.

39. Alexander Vampilov (1937)

Playwright

Russian playwright who became famous for his works such as The Elder Son and House, Overlooking the Field.

40. Terrence McNally (1938)

Playwright

American playwright who won the Tony Award and a Rockefeller Grant, and wrote 1994's Love! Valour! Compassion! and 1997's Corpus Cristi.

41. Richard Nelson (1950)

Playwright

Author of the Tony Award-winning musical adaptations of James Joyce's The Dead and the Broadway version of Chess.

42. August Schulenburg (1976)

Playwright

Founder and creative partner of Flux Theatre Ensemble and winner of the 2011 Caffe Cino Fellowship Award, he is a playwright who produced numerous plays including Riding the Bull, DEINDE,...

43. Aurin Squire (1979)

Playwright

Playwright and sports reporter who wrote Nueva Cancion, which chronicled the life of Chilean President, Salvador Allende.

44. John Byrne (1940)

Playwright

Scottish TV writer, playwright, and visual artist who worked on Arena, Crown Court, and other British television programs. He also designed album covers for the Beatles, Billy Connolly, and other...

45. Stanislav Stratiev (1970)

Playwright

Playwright whose debut play, The Roman Bath, was produced for more than ten seasons.

46. Kenneth G. Ross (1941)

Playwright

Australian playwright who wrote the 1978 play Breaker Morant, which was based on the life of Australian soldier Harry Morant.

47. Kate Robin (1970)

Playwright

Playwright and screenwriter known for her work on the HBO series Six Feet Under. She wrote The Market Theater, which won the IRNE Best Play of 2001.

48. Helvy Rosa (1970)

Playwright

Indonesian playwright, poet and author who has written over 60 books. Her short story Jaring-jaring Merah was deemed one of the most important of the '90s by Horison magazine and she...

49. Sandra Seaton (1970)

Playwright

She wrote plays about Sally Hemings including From the Diary of Sally Hemings, Sally, and A Bed Made in Heaven.

50. William Nicholson (1948)

Playwright

Tony-nominated playwright who wrote Shadowlands and The Retreat from Moscow. He is also known for his popular Wind On Fire trilogy of books.