The Sisters

WENDY WASSERSTEIN
Oct. 18, 1950 - Jan. 30, 2006

Brooklyn native Wendy Wasserstein was among Broadway's most beloved and respected playwrights when she died of lymphoma in at age 55. Wasserstein had earned degrees at Mount Holyoke College and City College of New York before ... more attending the Yale School of Drama, where she earned an M.F.A. and befriended future peers, including playwright Christopher Durang. Her Yale graduate thesis, "Uncommon Women and Others," was produced off-Broadway in 1977 with Glenn Close, Jill Eikenberry and Swoosie Kurtz, then produced for PBS with Meryl Streep replacing Close. In 1989, the playwright won both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for "The Heidi Chronicles," further displaying her skill at exploring feminine themes with wit and insight. Other works include "The Sisters Rosensweig," "Isn't It Romantic," "An American Daughter," "Old Money" and "Third."

(Image: Janette Beckman/Retna Ltd.)