Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi, on March 26, 1911.

In 1929, he entered the University of Missouri. He was not a successful student, and in 1931 he began work for a St. Louis shoe company. Six years later his first play, "Cairo, Shanghai, Bombay," was produced in Memphis; in many respects this was the true beginning of his literary and stage career. He then studied at the University of Iowa.

In 1945, "The Glass Menagerie," what many consider to be his finest play, had a very successful run in Chicago and a year later burst its way onto Broadway.

Although his reputation on Broadway continued to rise, particularly upon receiving his first Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for "A Streetcar Named Desire," Williams reached a larger world-wide public in 1950 when "The Glass Menagerie," and again in 1951 when "A Streetcar Named Desire" were made into motion pictures. Williams had now achieved a fame few playwrights of his day could equal.

From then on Williams divided his time between homes in Key West, New Orleans, and New York. Williams struggled with depression throughout most of his life and especially after the death of his long-time friend in 1963. In 1969 he spent two months on a program, designed to free him from prolonged dependency on alcohol, amphetamines, and barbiturates.

In the early 70s, Williams regained some measure of control in his personal life. In the 1980s Williams gained huge fame in the Soviet Union - he was called "the biggest success since Chekhov."

Williams died on February 24, 1983 in New York City.