The Famous Authors: Eugene O'Neill

Get to know the life and work of playwright Eugene O'Neill through this Famous Authors Series documentary. Learn how his famed plays, including +The Iceman Cometh and +A Long Day's Journey Into Night, earned him a Nobel Prize in literature and four Pulitzer Prizes. O'Neill's works explored the philosophical and political sides of life, while throwing in plot elements considered controversial for the stage, such as materialism, sexuality, family struggles, and racial discrimination. His array of dramatic plays took the 20th century American theater scene by storm and brought American characters and ideals onto stages around the world. Known for living by his own moral compass and for being very critical of society, O'Neill's personal views never affected his characters, whether heroes or villains.