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Howard Oliver Sackler (December 19, 1929 – October 12, 1982),was an American screenwriter and playwright, is best known for writing The Great White Hope (play: 1967; film: 1970). The Great White Hope enjoyed both a successful run on Broadway and, as a film adaptation, in movie theaters. James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander both starred in the original Arena Stage production of the the play in Washington, DC, then brought their roles to Broadway and later to the film version. Both Jones and Alexander received Academy Award nominations for their work in the movie.

Born in New York City, Sackler was the recipient of many awards and prestigious grants including both a Pulitzer Prize (1969), a Tony Award for Drama (1969), and a New York Drama Critics Circle Award for The Great White Hope. Prior to this, Sackler won the Maxwell Anderson Award (1954) and Chicago's Sergel Award. In addition, he was the recipient of grants from both the Rockefeller Foundation and the Littauer Foundation.^[1] The original production for The Great White Hope, produced at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, was substantially funded by two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.^[2] The Broadway production, however, was funded, at least in part, by Sackler himself using $225,000 from his screenwriting proceeds for the film version.^[3]

Sackler's work encompassed many other films and plays including the play Goodbye Fidel in 1980 and the films Jaws 2 in 1978 and Stanley Kubrick's Fear and Desire in 1953. His filmography also includes Gray Lady Down (1978) and Saint Jack (1979), which he co-wrote with Paul Theroux for Peter Bogdanovich. ^[4] According to the Internet Movie Database, Sackler wrote Quint's "Indianapolis" monologue, about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II, for Jaws (1975), although this is apparently uncredited.^[5]

Sackler's plays have been produced throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. He also directed over 200 recordings for Caedmon Records, various theater productions, and an NBC television special entitled Shakespeare: Soul of an Age.^[6]

On October 12, 1982, Sackler was found dead in his studio in Ibiza, Spain, where he lived for the better part of the year. According to his New York Times obituary, there was no evidence of foul play, although an autopsy was to be performed. He was 52 years old. Sackler, survived by his wife and two children, was working on Klondike, a farcical play about the Gold Rush, when he died.^[7]

1. ^ Sackler, flyleaf
2. ^ NEA
3. ^ NYT
4. ^ NYT
5. ^ IMDb
6. ^ Sackler, flyleaf
7. ^ NYT

• Answers.com. Howard Sackler. accessed September 8, 2006.
• IMDb (Internet Movie Database). "Howard Sackler." accessed September 8, 2006
• NYT (The New York Times). Lawson, Carol. "Howard Sackler, 52, Playwright Who Won Pulitzer Prize, Dead," October 15, 1982. accessed September 8, 2006. (NOTE: payment required for full article, if retrieved online)
• NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). "Arena Stage Takes a Risk on The Great White Hope", accessed September 8, 2006.
• Sackler, Howard. The Great White Hope. The Dial Press, Inc.; New York, NY, 1968.
• Whysanity.net accessed November 10, 2006; Indianapolis monologue from Jaws (text).