Louis S. Peterson

Louis S. Peterson was a playwright, actor, screenwriter, and professor. He was an American playwright and the first AfricanAmerican playwright to have a dramatic play produced on Broadway. He was also one of the first AfricanAmerican writers to be nominated for an Emmy Award.

Louis Stamford Peterson was born in Hartford, Connecticut on June 17, 1922. His father was Louis Peterson, Sr., and his mother was Ruth Conover Peterson, who both worked in the banking business. Peterson first planned to get a degree in music. In 1944 he graduated from Morehouse College earning a B.A. in English. In college he became involved in the Little Theatre and performed onstage. He attended Yale University , and then earned an M.A. in drama from New York University in 1947. In New York Peterson performed in OffBroadway plays, and studied acting with noted teacher, Sanford Meisner, at the Neighborhood Playhouse, and he also studied at the Actors Studio. He studied playwriting, and worked closely with Clifford Odets. His first play, Take a Giant Step, was written while he was touring as an actor and stage manager in Carson McCullers play, The Member of the Wedding. On July 21, 1952 he married Peggy Feury. The marriage ended after nine years in 1961.

Source: Wikipedia