Biography

December 23, 1919 · Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA

May 19, 1949 · New York City, New York, USA (drowning)

Orlo Thomas Heggen

In 1948, won two Tony Awards for "Mister Roberts" with collaborator Joshua Logan: as Best Authors and for the script, as well as Heggen's novel on which the script was based, as part of the Best Play Award.

Following the great success of his novel "Mister Roberts" (1946) and its 1948 Broadway adaptation, Thomas Heggen suffered from a severe case of writer's block. Under pressure to turn out another best-seller, he began abusing alcohol and prescription drugs. On May 19, 1949, Heggen was found drowned in the bathtub of his Manhattan apartment. The coroner ruled his death a "probable suicide", though he left no note and those who knew him were adamant that it was a tragic accident.