Douglas McGrath, a writer, director, and actor, passed away at the age of 64.
The autobiographical off-Broadway play Everything’s Fine, which the Tony and Oscar candidate also wrote, had just featured him as its star. Producers of the programme Daryl Roth, Tom Werner, and John Lithgow, who was also in charge of directing, revealed his passing on November 3rd.
“The company of Everything’s Fine was honored to have presented his solo autobiographical show,” the statement reads. “Everyone who worked with him over the last three months of production was struck by his grace, charm and droll sense of humor, and sends deepest condolences to his family.”
On November 2, there was one final performance. The one-man performance on a troubling episode in McGrath’s adolescence had earned favourable reviews. Elisabeth Vincentelli, in a piece for the New York Times, lauded the “can’t-look-away nature of a slow-motion accident,” saying that “you might be outraged yet laughing, anxious to hear what occurred next while simultaneously dreading it.” In the wake of his passing, Vincentelli tweeted that it was “a sudden, awful shock.”
The reason of death has not been given any specifics.
In 1980, McGrath started writing for Saturday Night Live. Later, in 1995, he was nominated for an Oscar for collaborating with Woody Allen to write the screenplay for Bullets Over Broadway. Additionally, he appeared in numerous of Allen’s films as an actor, including Celebrity, Small Time Crooks, and Café Society.
He also served as writer and director for the Gwyneth Paltrow-starring version of Emma from 1996, Charlie Hunnam-starring adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby from 2002, and Toby Jones-starring Truman Capote drama Infamous from 2006.
For penning the book for the Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, McGrath received a Tony nomination. McGrath commended King for never asking him “to soften or ameliorate the events of her life” in an article for the Guardian in 2018. Checkers and The Age of Innocence were two of his other plays.
McGrath has appeared in several episodes of HBO’s Girls as Principal Toby Cook, as well as Quiz Show, Todd Solondz’s Happiness, Michael Clayton from 2007 and other films. We had the finest time working with him on Girls, tweeted Jenni Konner, who was also the co-showrunner and one of the writers and directors. What a huge skill. What a great guy. RIP.”
Henry McGrath, his son, and his wife Jane Read Martin are his only heirs.
