The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright and Actor

 

Tracy Letts Wiki

He’s an actor with over 40 acting credits to his name, however, Tracy Letts, is perhaps still known best for his role as Andrew Lockhart in the series “Homeland”, while movie lovers will recognize him for his appearance in the hit movies such as “The Post”, “Little Women”, and “Ford v Ferrari”, among others. Tracy is a renowned playwright, who besides the Pulitzer Prize, has received numerous awards and accolades. Three of his plays have been turned into movies, and achieved worldwide fame.

Let us tell you more about his career, his life, and what he’s up to.

Early life, family, and education

Born Tracy Shane Letts under the zodiac sign of Cancer on 4 July 1965, he’ll soon celebrate his 58^th birthday. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma USA, Tracy holds American nationality and comes from a family of English, Scottish and Irish descent, aised in Durant, Oklahoma by his parents, Billie Letts (nee Gipson), a writer, and Dennis Letts, an actor, and former college professor, alongside his two brothers, Dana and Shawn.

Upon matriculating from high school in 1983, Tracy moved to Dallas, Texas, where he worked as a waiter and telemarketer while beginning his acting career. He came to Chicago, Illinois when he was 20 years old, and joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where he’s been an active member to this day.

Acting career

Tracy began performing in many of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s productions, including the play “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” by Steve Martin. In 1988, he made his movie debut as Van Owner in the comedy “Paramedics”. Next, he was heard as Sean in the 1992 romantic drama “Straight Talk”, starring Dolly Parton.

Tracy made his first television series appearance as Tommy Coughlin in the 1993 crime drama “The Untouchables”, which was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award. In the following years, Tracy mostly played support roles in numerous series and movie; one of his notable movie parts was his role as Sheriff Poe in the 1998 action thriller “US Marshals”, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Downey Jr. and Wesley Snipes.

The early 2000s saw Tracy guest starring in “Profiler” (2000), “Strong Medicine” (2001), and “Prison Break” (2006). Tracy then focused on his theater performances, and gained attention debuting on Broadway in the 2012 revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” by Edward Albee. Tracy won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance as George.

From 2013 through 2014, Tracy portrayed Andrew Lockhart in the series “Homeland”, which followed the story of a bipolar Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative who becomes convinced that al-Qaeda has ‘turned’ a prisoner of war, and plans to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil. The show had 182 award nominations and 61 wins, including eight Primetime Emmys.

Tracy was next cast to play Lawrence Fields in the 2015 biographic comedy-drama “The Big Short”, also starring Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell, which followed the true story of a group of investors who in their research discovered how corrupt the United States mortgage market is. The movie won the Oscar for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, among other 81 award nominations and 37 wins.

In the following years, Tracy was seen in “Wiener-Dog” (2016) and “Lady Bird” (2017), among many others, followed by his role as Henry Ford II in the 2019 movie “Ford v Ferrari”, which earned him a nomination from the Indian Film Journalists Association Award for Best Supporting Actor. Later that year, Tracy portrayed Mr. Dashwood in the Oscar-awarded romantic drama “Little Women” based on the novel of the same title by Louisa May Alcott. This beloved story of the four March sisters had 230 award nominations and 79 wins, including the Oscar for Best Achievement in a Costume Design.

Most recently, Tracy played Don Wilson in the 2022 mystery thriller “Deep Water”, and was seen as Jack McKinney in 10 episodes of the 2022 series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”.

Tracy completed the filming of his newest project, a drama entitled “Eric Larue”, the story of a mother whose son killed three of his school friends, also starring Judy Greer, Alexander Skarsgård, and Alison Pill. The movie is set to premiere on 10 June 2023.

Playwright credits and winning the Pulitzer Prize

Tracy wrote more than 10 plays, however, his most famous “August: Osage County”, which premiered in June 2007 at the Steppenwolf Theater, earned him Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2008. The play was also nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning six, including Tony for Best Play. Tracy wrote the screenplay based on this play, and the movie “August: Osage County”, directed by John Wells, and starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney, received numerous praise and accolades.

Tracy’s plays “Man from Nebraska” and “The Minutes” earned him Pulitzer Prize nominations. His plays “Bug” and “Killer Joe” were also turned into movies, and gained huge success.

Love life and relationships

Tracy has been the subject of numerous speculations about his romantic life, and even his sexual orientation has been questioned. However, it’s known that in the late ‘90s he was in a relationship with actress Sarah Paulson; the two become engaged in 1998, but separated in 1999.

In 2013, Tracy married actress Carrie Alexandra Coon, perhaps known best for her role as Nora Durst in the series “The Leftovers”. The two are quite secretive when it comes to their personal lives, and haven’t shared how and when they met and began their love story.

Tracy and Carrie have two children together; their son Haskell was born in 2018, and their daughter whose name hasn’t been disclosed, in the summer of 2021. The family of four lives in their residence in Chicago.

How rich is Tracy Letts?

As a successful actor, renowned playwright, and screenwriter, Tracy seemingly has made a good living thanks to his talents. According to sources, as of June 2023, his net worth has been estimated at over $4 million.