Irish playwright, born in
Omagh,
Northern Ireland in
1929. Friel is
Ireland's
preeminent modern playwright, both
prolific, much-performed and
internationally
renowned. His plays include
Translations,
Faith Healer,
Philadelphia Here I Come,
The Freedom of the City and
Dancing at Lughnasa, which won the
Tony Award for Best Play in
1992.
Friel was also one of the founders, along with poet Seamus Heaney, actor Stephen Rea and academic Seamus Deane, of the Field Day theatre company in Derry in 1980.