89 year old, Pulitzer Prize winner for his playwright "The Subject was Roses", Frank Gilroy, died last Saturday in his home in Monroe, New York.
In a report by abcnews.go.com, Frank Gilroy's family said that he died of natural causes.
Gilroy served the military from 1943 to 1946 in the European theater and then attended Dartmouth and Yale Drama School and worked as a screenwriter for live television and film. Some of his writings were "Studio One in Hollywood", "Playhouse 90", "The United States Steel Hour," "Kraft Television Theater," "Omnibus," "Lux Video Theater" and films The Gallant Hours" and "The Fastest Gun Alive." He also directed a 1971 film starring Shirley MacLaine, the "Desperate Characters."
Frank's "The Subject was Roses", which premiered on Broadway in May 1964, brought him a Tony Award. He then proceeded to write its 1968 film adaptation screenplay starring Jack Albertson and Patricia Neal, who both earned supporting Oscar nominations and an award for Albertson.
All of Frank's three sons are now working in the film industry, two of which followed his footsteps to become writers and directors. Tony wrote the first three "Bourne" films and directed "The Bourne Legacy" starring Jeremy Renner. Tony's brother, Dan Gilroy, co- wrote the latter film.
According to nytimes.com, Mr. Gilroy had written more than 30 playwrights and screenplays for 10 feature films but "The Subject was Roses" was his only major success. In 1991, his Broadway hit was revived and Gilroy said "I'd like to walk into a room sometime and be introduced as the author of something other than that play. There's always one thing in a career that has more impact than anything else. In my case, 'The Subject Was Roses' was that thing."
"The Subject was Roses" is a story of a World War II veteran who returned home to the Bronx where his parents continue to wait for him to come home and reconnect their emotional ties.
