William Hoffman (April 12, 1939-April 29, 2017) was an American playwright and director. He was born in New York City and studied English and Latin at City College of New York. After graduating, he worked as an editor at publishing company Hill and Wang, where he promoted the work of LGBT playwrights. After beginning a relationship with playwright Lanford Wilson, Hoffman wrote a series of experimental plays. He received grants and fellowships to continue writing and produced plays like A Quick Nut Bread to Make Your Mouth Water, based on a recipe.
Hoffman first achieved significant recognition with his 1985 play, As Is, about the AIDS epidemic and the government’s lackluster response. The play won Hoffman the OBIE Award for Distinguished Playwriting and nominations for both a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Hoffman was a professor of theatre at Lehman College until his death in 2017.
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