Sam Shepard, the playwright, actor and director, has died aged 73.
He wrote a total of 44 plays, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1978 Buried Child, a harrowing tale of incest, murder and inter-generational family strife.
His acting career began with a role in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven (1978), and he earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his role in The Right Stuff, in which he played the real-life test pilot Chuck Yeager.
He co-wrote the screenplay for Wim Wenders' 1984 movie Paris, Texas.
FIVE SEMINAL MOVIES STARRING SHEPARD
1. THE RIGHT STUFF (1983)
Shepard was nominated for an academy award for his portrayal of Chuck Yeager in this adaptation of a Tom Wolfe novel. Popularly regarded as the best aviation-themed movie of all time, Shepard's depiction of a fanatical young pilot set the standard for the modern American hero archetype in subsequent movies.
2. DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978)
Shepard was an up-and-coming poet-cum-playwright when Terrence Malick wooed him into assuming the role of The Farmer in this harrowing romantic drama. Shepard's sensitive, pathos-inducing portrayal of the nameless innocent sowed the seeds of his forays into Hollywood, and is seen as a standout performance.
3. THUNDERHEART (1992)
Shepard cemented his reputation as a screen actor in this mystery about a detective straddling two worlds and dual allegiances. The role showcased Shepard's evolution from a dreamy young savant masquerading as an actor to a cinematic staple who could be relied on to act with intellectual and emotional sensitivity.
4. PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
Shepard did not act in Paris, Texas but it is a testament to the scope of his writing talent. Venerated for its cinematography and atmospheric aesthetic, what sets it apart is the brilliant effect of his jarringly sparse script and its symbolically loaded dialogue which operates to dissolve the imagined distinction between screen and stage.
5. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2007)
Shepard's deceptively minor role belies the impact of his masterful performance. It is a credit to his subtlety as an actor that the figure of the Shakespeare-reading, gun-slinging gangster doesn't interfere with the macho stylization of the movie...