 david alan mamet (; born november 30, 1947) is an american playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director. as a playwright, mamet has won a pulitzer prize and received tony nominations for glengarry glen ross (1984) and speed-the-plow (1988). as a screenwriter, he has received oscar nominations for the verdict (1982) and wag the dog (1997). mamet's books include: the old religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of leo frank; five cities of refuge: weekly reflections on genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers and deuteronomy (2004), a torah commentary with rabbi lawrence kushner; the wicked son (2006), a study of jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; bambi vs. godzilla, a commentary on the movie business; the secret knowledge: on the dismantling of american culture (2011), a commentary on cultural and political issues; and three war stories (2013), a trio of novellas about the physical and psychological effects of war. feature films which mamet both wrote and directed include redbelt (2008), the spanish prisoner (1997), house of games (1987) (which won best film and best screenplay aw
1947_births Acting_theorists American_Orthodox_Jews American_Theater_Hall_of_Fame_inductees American_dramatists_and_playwrights American_film_directors American_film_producers American_screenwriters American_television_directors American_television_producers American_television_writers Baalei_teshuva Goddard_College_alumni Jewish_American_dramatists_and_playwrights Living_people Members_of_the_American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Letters People_from_Washington_County,_Vermont Pulitzer_Prize_for_Drama_winners Writers_from_Chicago,_Illinois