david mamet, playwright

"david mamet's work is nothing if not controversial. born in chicago in 1947, he is in many ways the american successor

to british playwright harold pinter; his plays are sparse on action, with notoriously realistic dialogue -

so realistic that he has often been accused of tape recording conversations and transcribing them.

the rhythm and diction of the dialogue - often colloquial - are often just as important to

mamet's point as the content, which is frequently profane.

his stories reflect the grittiness of urban life and are particularly male-dominated.

he began writing at goddard college in vermont, and attended the neighborhood playhouse school in new york;

early off-broadway successes like sexual perversity in chicago brought notoriety in the mid-1970s

and led up to a pulitzer prize for 1984's glengarry glen ross.

his first produced screenplay, 1981's the postman always rings twice, was warmly received

and preceeded a string of originals and adaptations.

house of games marked mamet's directorial debut in 1987;

since, he's directed eight films, most recently heist

and including, in 1994, oleanna.

mamet taught at goddard college, yale drama school and nyu, and founded

the atlantic theater company with william h. macy."

- excerpted from sparknote by anthony gabriele

for more info,

internet movie database's david mamet filmography

and jason charnick's david mamet bibliography

are great starting points.