Charles+Fuller

//OVERVIEW//
 * //Charles Henry Fuller, Jr. is known as one of the most profound African American playwrights, essayists, and fiction writers of the 1900s. He was born in Philidelphia, Pennsilvania on March 5, 1939 to Charles H. Sr. and Lilian Anderson. Charles Fuller began his career s a playwright during the mid-sixties and soon went on to be the co-founder of the Afro-American Arts Theatre in his hometown, Philidelphia.//**

//EARLY LIFE// Fuller fell in love with reading and writing at a young age, primarily due to his father's occupation as a printer. His most memorable dicovery of this interest in reading and writing was when his father, Charles H. Sr., asked him to proofread some of his work. During his high school days, Fuller spent many hours in his school's library, along with his friend Larry Neal. Eventually, Fuller became the first student ever to read every book in the school's collection. This was the rewarding experience tht sparked Fuller's dream of becoming a writer.

//SHAPING HIS FUTURE// After graduating from high school, Fuller attended [|Villanova University], in Pennsilvania from 1956 to 1958. He chose english as his major, and intended on becoming a writer. One of his professors called him foolish for having such strong literary ambitions in a country that had no intention of accepting black writers. Soon after, Fuller submitted a few of his stories to his school's magazine editors, and they laughed at him. This was Fuller's first encounter with racism at a personal level. However, he wouldnt let this discourage him. Although it left a harsh mark on him as a young and ambitious african American writer, this experience reinforced the determination Fulller had to direct himself towards a career as a writing. Fuller left the University before graduating and joined the U.S. army in 1959. The next four years of his life were spent stationed in Japan and Korea, with occassional jobs in Virginia. Fuller used his free time during assignments to sharpen his skills as a writer. In his future works, Fuller would us the army in his plays to "bring parity to black males". According to Fuller, "In no other place has it been possible for men to confront men. You can't call a man a fool whose principal function is to defend this country". CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Upon returning to civilian life in the early 1960s, Fuller married Miriam A. Nesbitt (nurse and teacher) on August 4, 1962. He then decided to continue his education at [|La Salle College] (now La Salle University). He attended school there from 1965-1968. At La Salle, Fuller wrote short plays for a Philidelphia theatre group that later became the Afro-American Theatre of Philidelphia, which he helped found. He also served as co-director of this threatre until he moved to New York in 1970, after the success of his first blockbuster production as a playwright, //The Village: A Party in 1968//. This hit was first produced by Princeton's McCarter Theatre, but was later sent to Broadway in New York where it was re-titled //The Perfect Party//. Fuller devoted himself to writing full-time after his Broadway debut. During the 1970s, especially, he wrote many plays that were produced off-Broadway. In 1976, Fuller produced the first of his three most popular plays, //The Brownsville Raid//, a play based on true events which occurred near an army base in Texas in 1906. //Zooman and the Sign// was the second of his most successful plays, produced in 1980. Fuller won two Obie Awards (awarded to off-Broadway productions) for //Zooman// in 1980.

Fuller's most celebrated work was dedicated to his old library friend who also became a playwright, Larry Neal, who died of a heart attack in 1981. Fuller was devistated by the loss of his best childhood friend and honored him by writing //A Soldier's Play.// This play won the [|Pulitzer Prize]for drama, after running off-broadway for more than a year. Preceding Charles Gordone, Charles Fuller became the second African American to win the Pulitzer. //A Soldier's Play// also won the 1982 New York Drama Critic's Award for Best American Play, alongside the [|Edgar Allen Poe Award]for Best Mystery. Fuller was given a movie contract from Columbia Picture as a reward for his effort, with which he took his greatest play to the big screen. After writing the screenplay himself, Fuller changed the name of his play to simply, //A Soldier's Story.// The play and the film focused on an investigation of an African American sergeant by one of his troops during World War II, but truly was a look at racism in America and the army. The film was released in 1984, and recieved two [|Academy Award]nominations in 1985.

Even after these successes, Fuller has continued to write for theatre as well as film. To this day, he continues to live and work in New York city. Fuller is an active member of the [|Writers Guild of America], and a board member of the Dramatists Guild Fund. He continues to urge his audiences to reject black steoreotypes in order to accept more realistic and humane black characters.

//FULLER'S MILESTONES// 1995-- Fuller Scripted "Zooman", a Showtime TV-movie, based on his play 1987-- Wrote TV-movie, "A Gathering of Old Men" 1984-- Adapted his award-winning play as "A Soldier's Story" for director Norman Jewison; earned Oscar nomination 1981-- "A Soldier's Play" premiered in NYC; won Pulitzer Prize 1978-- "Zooman and the Sign" premiered in NYC 1968-- Had first play, "The Village: A Party", produced at McCarter Theatre, Princeton, New Jersey; moved to NYC in 1969 in revised form as "The Perfect Party" 1967-- Wrote local Philadelphia TV series, "Roots, Resistance, and Renaissance" 1959-1962 Served in the US military Co-founded and co-directed Afro-American Arts Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Directed "The Black Experience" for WIP-Radio, Philadelphia

//WORK CITED//

Mifflin Co., Houghton. "Charles Fuller". Oxford University Press. .

Hollywood, LLC. "Charles Fuller". Holllywood. 1999 .

Bridges, Wallace. "Charles H. Fuller, Jr.". Bridges Web Services. April 3, 2001 .

Trolly, Victor. "Fuller, Charles Henry, Jr. (1939-)". Black Past Inc.. April 3, 2001 <[|www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/fuller-charles-henry-jr-1939]>.