Frank Galati dies at 79: Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Accidental Tourist
Frank Galati dies at 79: The Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Accidental Tourist and Tony Award-winner of Broadway’s Grapes Of Wrath with Gary Sinise passes away after a long career
- Frank Galati died at the age of 79 on Monday it was announced Tuesday
- The Chicago native’s passing was announced by her husband Peter Amster.
- But so far no cause of death for the theater director has been shared.
- He was nominated for an Oscar for his 1988 screenplay for The Accidental Tourist.
- And he won a Tony Award for his Broadway version of The Grapes of Wrath.
Frank Galati died at the age of 79 on Monday.
Her passing was announced by her husband Peter Amster, but the cause of death was not shared, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The Hollywood veteran found early success in 1988 when he adapted the book The Accidental Tourist for the screen with William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and Geena Davis. The Chicago native was nominated for an Academy Award for his efforts.
But he was best known for his work on Broadway, having won a Tony Award for his stage adaptation of Grapes Of Wrath with Gary Sinise.
A sad loss to the arts: Frank Galati died Monday at the age of 79. Seen in 2007
Frank’s ties to the theater ran deep.
He was an Associate Director at Chicago’s Goodman Theater from 1986 to 2008 and a member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company since 1985. Galati has also worked as a professor at Northwestern University.
His success came in the 1980s when he was working in theater. One of her early hits was a 1987 production of Aunt Dan and Lemon, starring Wallace Shawn.
Then came his Oscar-nominated work in The Accidental Tourist.
His movie break: The Hollywood veteran had an early break in 1988 when he adapted the book The Accidental Tourist for the screen with (pictured left) Kathleen Turner, William Hurt and Geena Davis. The Chicago native was nominated for an Academy Award for his efforts.
He then returned to the stage with an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
The production began in 1988 at Steppenwolf with actors Gary Sinise and Terry Kinney and then moved to Broadway.
His work earned him a Tony Award in 1990.
He then had many hits with his Chicago productions, including 1995’s As I Lay Dying.
In 1998 he returned to Broadway where he directed Ragtime, which was a production of Terrence McNally’s adaptation of the EL Doctorow novel.
In 2005 he worked on the play After the Quake and in 2009 he played the role of Prospero in The Tempest. It was noted as the first Shakespearean production of Steppenwolf.
In 2012 he worked on The March and then in 2015 he turned his talents to The Herd.
His last show was Knoxville at the Asolo Repertory Theater in Sarasota, Florida, where he had retired.
Galati was born in 1943 in Highland Park, Chicago.
He graduated from Glenbrook High School in Northbrook in 1961 and spent a year at Western Illinois before transferring to Northwestern. He joined the university faculty in 1972.