Conor McPherson

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Conor McPherson (born August 6, 1971) is an Irish playwright and director.

Born in Dublin and educated at University College Dublin, McPherson began writing his first plays there as a member of dramsoc, the college's dramatic society. He is considered one of the better young Irish playwrights; his plays have attracted generally good reviews, have been performed internationally (notably in the West End and on Broadway) and are the recipients of many awards, including the Laurence Olivier award for Best Play for The Weir. His 2004 play Shining City prompted the London Telegraph to describe him as 'the finest dramatist of his generation...' A remarkable meditation on regret, guilt and confusion, the play is set entirely within the Dublin offices of a psychiatrist who himself has psychological secrets. Whilst much of the play takes the form of monologues delivered by a patient, the everyday stories and subtle poignancy and humour make it a rivetting experience. It subsequently opened on Broadway in 2006 and was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Play.

In September 2006, to great critical acclaim, McPherson made his National Theatre debut as both author and director with The Seafarer at the Cottesloe, starring Karl Johnson and Jim Norton, with Ron Cook as their poker-playing, Mephistophelean guest. Jim Norton won an Olivier Award for his performance while McPherson was nominated for both the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Play.

He has had mixed success in the medium of film. The film of his first screenplay, I Went Down, was critically acclaimed and a great commercial success. His first feature film as director, Saltwater won the CICAE award for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival. By contrast, his second feature film as a director, The Actors, made for Hollywood, was not well received.